


Impossible Children

by ColoradoCharmieGirl



Category: Call Me By Your Name (2017) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, CMBYN December Fest 2020, Edging, Fluff and Smut, Hand Jobs, Light Angst, M/M, RPF but future fictional AU, Rimming, Smut, not mpreg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:26:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 45,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28402416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColoradoCharmieGirl/pseuds/ColoradoCharmieGirl
Summary: A glimpse into a future where the impossible is possible, and the road it takes to get there.
Relationships: Timothée Chalamet/Armie Hammer
Comments: 83
Kudos: 106
Collections: CMBYN December Fest 2020





	1. The Text

**Author's Note:**

> I've debated whether to keep posting or delay, and have decided to keep posting, but I absolutely understand that you all may choose to read or not read--please do what is best for you. I will be finishing this story for sure, so if you don't want to start reading because you're concerned about that, please read away--my heart won't let me stop this one. 
> 
> General disclaimer that this is fiction. 
> 
> Original Note: Hi everyone! I had a milestone birthday this year (2020), and couldn't celebrate/travel as planned--instead I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone and write this, and I've had a blast. I'd love to hear what you think, so feel free to comment or come yell at me on Tumblr (@coloradocharmiegirl) or whatever. 
> 
> Thanks to LittleSisterCharlie for the encouragement and beta-reading for me! I certainly wouldn't be posting this without you.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timmy gets a text that sends him running.

April 2032 - Los Angeles

Timmy was having trouble concentrating. He always found conference room air stifling, and all he was hearing was “blah, blah, contracts..., blah, blah, schedule.” After well over a decade, he trusted his team to just handle it, but Brian insisted these meetings were important. So here he was. He looked around the room and watched as people talked about him like he wasn’t even there. 

His thoughts drifted to the evening as he gazed out the window at the clouds. He didn’t _think_ they had any plans--maybe they could just chill in the backyard and enjoy being together...a couple beers, some music, Armie could grill something--would the kids be home tonight? No, that’s right, there’s a game at school and they were planning to go. He thought about how hard it was to keep track now that Hops could drive and they didn’t need to schedule carting the kids around. A smile crept onto Timmy’s face as he thought about later, and Armie...always Armie, and after grilling how he might smell smoky and need a nice looong shower...with someone to help scrub the smell away. And then-

“Tim...TIMMY!”--Brian’s voice interrupted his daydream. He looked up and saw him pointing at the table in front of him. Timmy peeked at his phone, self-conscious as everyone watched him, and his heart dropped. He was pushing back from the table before he even heard Brian ask “what?” Timmy could barely whisper “Armie...hospital,” before he was scrambling out the door. He heard Brian tell the room “we’ll have to do this later,” as he was running down the hall.

The elevator was painfully slow. Timmy felt his hands tremble as he pushed the button again and again, calculating whether it would be faster to run down the 22 floors. The doors opened, and he prayed there’d be no stops. Worst-case scenarios pushed their way into his mind, his only conscious thought focused on getting there in time.

The doors opened and he sprinted through the lobby, only to be joined by a woman he vaguely recognized (an assistant of some sort?) sprinting beside him. “Mr. Chalamet, Brian called down... the driver is waiting.” Timmy nodded his thanks, calling the destination and “the faster the better” over the seat as he crawled into the back. And then...it was out of his hands. Desperate for some way to be useful he checked in on the kids via their family tracking app and saw they were still at school. He called the school and voicemail picked up. Not willing to wait, he texted both kids, thankful they could get there on their own.

Alone with his thoughts, snips of their beginnings washed over him. 

_The piano lesson in Crema when they first met, and how he’d told everyone his first thought was “Man, this guy is HUUUGE!,” but how it was really an overwhelming feeling of peace and completeness--like putting the last piece into a puzzle. The heady intimacy he felt as they spent almost every waking moment together, filming, rehearsing, just hanging out, and how the lines blurred almost to the point of non-existence. The disconnect between two versions of himself as he returned to his own life after filming--feeling like a part of him had been ripped away ._

_The realization during the promo tour that perhaps he wasn’t the only one feeling ...things, followed by the furor from both their teams over the incendiary chemistry anyone and everyone could see any time they were together. The dichotomy of things being so right as they gave in to the need, the want, the desire, in contrast to the crushing wrongness of “how it would look” and the career impact it could have, leading to the soul-crushing “dark ages” that followed._

_He thought about how hard he and Armie had fought for them. The rollercoaster of hope and disappointment over the span of actual years--the decision to finally be together and do whatever it took to make it happen, the long negotiation that went into disentangling Armie’s Instagram-perfect marriage. As 2020 rolled around the seeds of their new life together were being planted, with the separation, the public, poetic declaration of love in the park--it was difficult, but on track. And then fucking covid tossed all the planning and careful maneuvering aside--the Caymans, the delayed divorce, Cabo, sham “relationships” for each of them to steer the divorce narrative away from Timmy and soothe Liz’s ego, the custody fight--over 10 years in the past and it still stirred a jaw-clenching anger. Timmy knew their rough beginning only strengthened their bond, but he almost couldn’t believe they made it out the other side, to where they were now._

The car jostled, bringing Timmy back to the present enough to realize they were merging onto the highway. Trying to focus, he checked in on the kids and saw them moving toward the hospital. Hot tears welled up at the thought of the kids, his love for them pushing him to the emotional edge. He said a silent prayer that this wouldn’t change his relationship with them. Feeling helpless and desperate he texted Armie:

TC: Hang on! The kids and I are on our way. 

AH:

Timmy hadn’t really expected a response, but still worried at the silence. He checked his phone, seeing another 15 minutes to their trip--15 minutes! The kids were close at least, and Armie wouldn't be alone long. Pleading with the driver to do whatever he could, Timmy promised to pay any ticket or fine they might get.

He closed his eyes and thought back just a few hours--languidly lying in bed, exploring each other as they so frequently did whenever they were in the same place at the same time. Slow and sensual this time, gentle touches, deep kisses connecting on a spiritual level, awash in love and feeling as one. A change from their frequent hot, urgent, can’t-keep-your-hands-off-each-other sessions, where their bottomless trust made _nothing_ off limits. His body started to stir and his eyes flew open...now was NOT the time for that! But doubt crept into his thoughts because now...well, it would all be different now, wouldn’t it? He felt oddly detached from the person he had been this morning, like the phone call was the dividing line of “before” and “after” in his life. 

A rough bump brought Timmy back into the moment, and the car pulled up to the hospital doors. He ran inside and looked up at the cavernous atrium, its glass elevator and multiple floors looking more like it belonged in a mall than a hospital, and tried to figure out where he should be going. Should he have come in the emergency entrance? Unsure and feeling flustered he alternately stared at the hospital directory and had started to text the kids when he heard the voice he knew so well, “Timmy. Babe!...Timmy, up here!”

Relief washed over him as he spun around and looked up. Armie was leaning over the fourth floor railing, and the sight brought that same sense of peace and completeness he felt the very first time they met, and that he had felt every time he’d seen him since.

“Babe. What are you waiting for? Get _up_ here!” Armie shouted out to him, grinning like a madman. Timmy dashed for the stairs, taking them two at a time, not wanting to wait even the minute it would take for the elevator. Armie met him at the top, lifting him into an embrace and giving him a little spin. A raspy whispered “I’m so glad you’re here” tickled his ear, followed by a warm kiss on the soft skin on the jawline just below, and then a quick kiss on the lips. Armie pulled back and Timmy found his feet on the floor, staring up at the smile lighting Armie’s face. 

“Are the kids here? Did I make it on time?”

“Yeah, they got here a few minutes ago. And we’ve got some time--when I texted it looked like things were moving a lot faster than they are now--but you just never know with these things. There’s a private waiting area...we probably just want to wait there. We can send the kids down to grab coffee and snacks or something." 

“How are you so _calm_?,” Timmy asked, dropping his eyes to the floor, suddenly overwhelmed. A finger lifted his chin as Armie leaned into a soft kiss, and Timmy grinned, recognizing it as one of Armie’s go-to moves for lifting his worry. Breaking away, Armie shook his head with a wide smile. “Relax. You _do_ remember I’ve done this before. _Twice_ even. It will be ok. Actually...more than ok--it will be _incredible_.” 

And before Timmy could protest, Armie grabbed his hand and they walked back to where he had seen Armie over the railing, past the sign in large letters on the wall: 

_Center for Maternal and Infant Health_


	2. The Wait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timmy and Armie settle in for the wait.

They turned the corner into the waiting area and Harper jumped up with a smile,“Papa! I’m so glad you made it! I got your text in the middle of a quiz, and just jumped up and left, grabbing Ford on the way out.” She gave Timmy a quick peck on each cheek, followed by a tight hug. Timmy grinned, thinking how she had adopted the custom after a visit the four of them made to see his extended family in France a few summers before. Scrunching up her nose, she lowered her voice, “I might need you to reach out to Ms. Sullivan and smooth things over.” 

“Of course...just let me know,” he replied in a conspiratorial whisper, before letting go of the hug. He gave Ford a little shoulder squeeze as he passed by, trying to see what was so engrossing on his phone, “Hey bud...you ok?” Ford startled and looked up with a smile, “I’m good... just trying to get these chapters read before the excitement starts--I left in the middle of English.”

Timmy settled in next to Armie on the couch and got up to speed on what had been happening. Armie explained that when had texted, it had seemed like things were progressing quickly, but then seemed to plateau. Everything still “looked good” medically, and Michelle, their surrogate, had asked for as few interventions as necessary--so they were just waiting at this point. She had been trying to rest, so they had come out to the waiting room. Timmy wanted to go say hi, let her know he was here, and thank her...again.

Walking down the hall, Timmy thought it was an incredible gift, what Michelle was doing for them. She was a young mother, married with two kids of her own, and had just started looking into being a surrogate for her brother and his husband when they were both killed in a multi-car pileup on an icy highway. It was a devastating loss, but she had decided the best way to honor their memories was to give another couple the chance to have a baby that her brother never got. It made him tear up every time he thought of it. Through her generosity, the miracle of modern science, and the luck of the universe, he and Armie would soon be meeting their baby- _-his and Armie’s_ baby--it seemed unreal. 

He peeked through the crack in the door, saw she was awake, and knocked softly. She smiled and waved him in. “Oh Timmy, I’m so glad you made it. I want you and Armie to be the first ones to hold’em.”

“Did you say ‘him’?” Timmy’s eyes went wide--he and Armie hadn’t found out the baby’s gender. He was curious at first, but Armie had made the convincing argument that there were so few real surprises in life, so they were waiting. Their nursery looked lovely in cream, grey, and pale green, and really, he reasoned, wasn’t it better to not put the whole blue/pink gender trappings on a baby? They deserve a chance to grow up to be whomever and however they wanted to be.

“Oh sweetie, no,” Michelle grinned. “I said ‘them’...you don’t think I’d ruin the surprise now, do you?”

“Of course not--I’m just so excited...and nervous...and scared. I mean, I was around some when Ford was a baby, but I’ve never been _responsible_ for a baby before.” He felt ridiculous, expressing his worry to Michelle, the woman who was actually about to go through labor so that he would have that exact responsibility. “I’m sorry--just...just, I can’t thank you enough for doing this. How are you feeling?”

“Hey, you are doing just fine. I was terrified when my daughter was born,” she reassured him. “You are going to be an amazing dad. But you know that--you already are--and to teenagers no less! Babies are relatively easy--just feed, change, love, repeat--and you won’t be doing it alone.” Michelle grimaced a little and puffed out a few breaths as the monitor showed a contraction starting, “And I’m doing well--some contractions, but nothing too intense yet. I’ve talked to the nurses and they know to come get you guys as we get closer, but I’d really like to have some quiet time to mentally prepare.” Timmy thanked her again and gave her a quick kiss on the back of the hand before leaving to go back to Armie and the kids. 

He found Armie alone in the waiting room, the kids having gone down to the cafeteria to see what they could find. Timmy sunk into the couch, knees tucked under him, and trailed his fingers through his husband’s hair, lips curling into a fond smile at the grey at the temples. Timmy thought Armie was aging into the very definition of distinguished--still sooo very hot, but in a mature settled way. The way he looked, his deep voice, his smell, his taste, still made Timmy feel like his blood was on fire and they could never be close enough. But it was also his peace, his comfort--Armie was his home and where he felt safe when the rest of the world made no sense. 

Armie tilted his head back just a little at the touch, eyes closed, a low sigh escaping his lips, and Timmy rested his forehead against Armie’s temple. He loved the sound of that sigh, sometimes so warm and happy, like a smile you could hear--and other times, well...it was the _start_ of something. He inhaled deeply, taking in the scent he knew so well, and planted a soft kiss at the top of Armie’s neck, right behind his ear--that spot he knew Armie couldn’t resist. 

Armie opened his eyes and glanced over, single eyebrow raised, questioning whether the kiss was the invitation it seemed to be--only to be met by the sight of Timmy cocking an eyebrow, biting his lower lip and giving a quick shoulder shrug as he looked up through his lashes. Armie pupils widened ever so slightly, then he shook his head and gave a quiet chuckle, “Let me go check in with the nurse.”


	3. The Walk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armie and Timmy take a walk while they wait, and Timmy thinks over his relationship with Harper and Ford

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay--I'm finding I'm pretty terrible at the chapter summaries, but hang with me--I'm sure I'll get better!

The kids came back with a bag full of sandwiches, chips, cookies,and drinks just as Armie was getting back from the nurse’s station. Harper started unloading the bag, explaining, “We got enough for all of us, since it is almost dinner time. Any news?” 

“Not really,” replied Armie, “they’ll let us know. In the meantime we just wait.”

“Well, good thing I got dinner,” said Harper, as Ford started unwrapping his sandwich.

“Yeah, maybe leave ours in the bag...We’re gonna go for a walk.” Hearing the tone of Armie’s voice, Timmy glanced up with interest, then heard a little snort. He looked over and caught Ford glancing back and forth between them with a cheeky smile, “Ok...if _that’s_ what we’re calling it these days.” Timmy felt the heat rising up his neck and hoped the blush hadn’t reached his cheeks. 

Armie rolled his eyes and gave Ford a little thump on the shoulder with his thumb. “Seriously guys, text us if you get an update,” Armie said over his shoulder as he pulled Timmy away. 

They made it to the stairs before Timmy could speak. “Oh god, that was embarrassing! Should we have stayed?” 

"And miss what could be our last moments without being tethered to a baby monitor for the foreseeable future? No way!" Armie stepped in front of Timmy as they hit the landing, and turned to face him. Timmy watched Armie’s gaze shift from light-hearted to intense, searching Timmy’s face as he brushed a stray curl behind his ear. 

A shiver ran up Timmy’s spine. He knew Armie’s different looks, and they had a whole repertoire of meaning. But this... _this_ look. Timmy hadn’t seen exactly _this_ look since that day under the trees at Villa Albergoni years ago, having snuck away from the public eye for a private celebration once Armie’s divorce was final. Five years to the day they had met, they exchanged emotional vows, just the two of them in the shade of the apricot trees, marking a new beginning, and a commitment for the rest of their lives. Their “secret wedding,” just for them, while they waited an “appropriate” amount of time to quietly make it legal.

Timmy’s breath caught suddenly with the realization that this too was a new beginning, and for the rest of their lives. He slipped a hand to the back of his husband's neck and pulled him in for a deep kiss, laying bare his love, trust, his very soul--whatever was to come, they were in it together. Armie leaned into him, pressing him up against the stairwell wall, and trailed kisses down Timmy’s neck. Timmy answered by rolling his hips up, seeking friction, and the rest of the world melted away. Timmy was losing himself to the pleasure of the moment when he suddenly found himself alone.

“Ungh,” Timmy exhaled as Armie pulled away, “Why’d you stop?” 

“Well, for one...we’re in a public stairwell,” Armie said with a grin. Timmy looked up at Armie and saw him holding up his phone, “But more importantly…Harper says we should come back.” 

They ran up the stairs and jogged down the hall back to the waiting area. Timmy heard the kids sniping at each other:

“You shouldn’t have interrupted them!”

“Dad said to text if there was an update!”

“Yeah, but nothing is really happening yet!”

Armie interrupted them, “Guys, hey...what’s going on?” 

Timmy headed to the nurse’s station, leaving Armie to deal with the kids. The nurse told him that things weren’t progressing like the doctor would like, and that Michelle had agreed to some minor help moving things along, partly so she wouldn’t be exhausted by the time active delivery came around. They were going to wait a bit still before trying anything, but the nurse warned Timmy they should probably stay in the waiting area at this point.

Back with Armie and the kids, Timmy explained what he had heard and grabbed some food out of the bag. It wasn’t terrible--better than he expected actually. He settled in and looked at the kids sitting across from him and love and pride swelled in his chest. He couldn’t believe that Harper was 17, a high school Junior, and would be leaving them soon for college. She was smart, kind, beautiful, and just a teeny bit taller than he was, which smarted a little to be honest. Ford was well taller than Timmy, over six feet tall already and still growing. Timmy thought there was a good chance he could end up taller than Armie--he was only 14 and had a few years of growth still ahead of him. Ford was built like his dad--looked a lot like him too. But for all his height and strength, he was a gentle soul, interested in words and art, and tended to watch and figure things out before jumping in. Timmy loved them wholeheartedly. 

As far as Armie was concerned, Timmy had become a co-parent as soon as they had moved in together. And Timmy was all in--he had meant it when he included wanting to build a life for the four of them as part of his wedding vows. The kids, however, had other ideas, and continued to see him as the friend and playmate he had been when they were younger, back before the divorce. Things changed as they got a little older--they’d started resisting the camera constantly in their faces at about the same time Liz decided she wanted to be a travel influencer--and the solution was them living with him and Armie in LA nearly full time, save for part of the summer and some time over the holidays. 

Timmy had done his best to love and guide them, but it had been challenging, and he hadn't felt like he was getting it right. One day though--when Harper must have been about 9--that all changed. She’d come out to the kitchen where he and Armie were working on making dinner and asked “Papa, can you come help me?” They’d both thought it strange, she'd never called Armie “Papa” before, but Armie replied, “Sure Hops, just give me a minute.”

“Not you, Daddy--Papa Timmy.” 

Armie looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and Timmy shrugged, confused, but quickly followed Harper to her room. “So…Papa Timmy?,” he held his breath. “Um hmm,” Harper responded, like it was no big deal, “Daddy is Daddy, but you're like our daddy too, and that French book you read to us calls the daddy Papa. So me and Fordy are going to call you Papa now.” And that night, after the kids went to bed, Armie held him close and kissed away the small tears he could no longer hold back, overwhelmed at the love and acceptance and “family” of it all.

Would he love this baby as much? It sounded silly, but he was actually a little worried. Mentally, he was sure he would, but emotionally, it was hard to imagine it.

The concern must have shown on his face, because Armie shifted sideways on the couch, pulling Timmy between his legs and back against his chest. “Shhh, Babe. Just close your eyes. Relax a bit.” Timmy closed his eyes, calmed by Armie’s fingers gently trailing through his hair-- but rest eluded him. He was helpless against his own mind as it jumped from memory to memory, travelling along the road that led them here, to this waiting room, just a blink away from meeting one of their impossible children.


	4. The Post

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timmy's memory of the first time he encountered the impossible children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Several months ago there was a post on Tumblr that wormed its way into my brain and refused to leave. This entire story stems from that post. If, after reading, you don't know the post to which I'm referring, be sure to check out the link in the end note.

September 2020

Timmy knew better than to lurk on Tumblr. He loved the “Charmies”--they were like this invisible army of support, and he’d taken some solace there once in a while when he was feeling hopeless. He also liked messing with them a bit--he’d even left some clues here and there, making posts he knew would put their detective skills to work--but damn if they weren’t a smart bunch, mapping out timelines, and quickly figuring out the meaning behind what he thought were opaque references. Hell, he’d only had the Bridesmaids video up for a few minutes before they’d figured it out--”You don’t have a husband”--so he knew it was better not to engage lest he reveal too much.

But he had been bored, so he had looked...and fuck all if he couldn’t get it out of his mind. Someone had used a face app to meld him and Armie, to see what their kids might look like. It was fantasy--they were both guys--and well, biology...but it still hit close to home. When he was younger, Timmy had pictured himself having his own biological kids eventually, and he _thought_ he had made peace with the idea of not being able to do that now. _Well...that wasn’t true, he thought--he was_ able _to. He could always father a child using donated eggs and a surrogate, but that would never have the potential of creating what he saw before him._ He thought of his parents, and how you could see bits and pieces of each of them in him and Pauline, and he wanted _that_. 

He couldn’t help but stare at each of the pictures--every iteration was beautiful, bits of him and Armie mixed together, like curly hair that was blonde or dark hair with blue eyes. These impossible children felt like a tangible representation of his and Armie’s love, and, if he was being honest with himself, the pictures made his heart ache. He thought about the phrase “your body doesn’t know it’s acting,” and felt like, in this case, his heart didn’t know this wasn’t real. It felt a little cruel, really, on the universe’s part, to bring him and Armie together, and yet deny them this. He closed the app in frustration.

Timmy knew it made absolutely no sense to feel this way. He and Armie were just getting to the point that a real future together was possible, even if it had to be hidden. He felt lucky that they were able to be together in Woodstock over the summer and in Joshua Tree a couple of weeks ago for Armie’s birthday, but those were all hush-hush. He couldn’t imagine hiding a child away like that--it just wouldn’t be right. Not to mention he was only 24 and nowhere near ready to have kids. He opened Tumblr again with a big sigh, saved the post, and shut it once again, determined to find a distraction.

Timmy flipped the television on, and caught the tail end of the news. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry had been awarded to two women for their work on the CRISPR gene-editing technology. The highlight of the story was that it was two women awarded the prize, and that _was_ different and newsworthy, but the technology part--that with this science there was the chance to replace parts of the DNA strand that would cause genetic diseases or abnormalities-- _that_ was incredible. Timmy wondered if Armie knew about this. He checked the time and smiled, glad it wasn’t too late to reach out. He opened facetime and dialed. 

Armie had picked up on the second ring, concern showing on his face. “Babe! Is everything ok?”

The sight of Armie’s face took him back to those impossible children--he couldn't help but see some of the same bits and pieces he saw there in those pictures animated here on his screen, and it took a moment to push those thoughts away and respond. “What?...Yeah--, no, I just saw a news story about one of the Nobel prizes, and thought it sounded like something you’d be interested in. Have you heard of CRISPR? For DNA?...”

Later that night, as he drifted off to sleep, he thought about children, and how many barriers seemed in the way, assuming he and Armie ever decided they wanted a kid--finalizing the divorce, getting married, actually living in the same place at the same time, figuring out his role in Harper and Ford’s life, coming out _(probably, right? Like, how would you explain the kid otherwise?_ ), getting out of his 20’s, and, oh yeah--the actual "having a kid" part. The list seemed endless. Even so, as sleep finally pulled him under, his last thought was of these impossible children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here's the [ post](https://coloradocharmiegirl.tumblr.com/post/639542190862974976/reblogging-because-its-been-too-long-since-ive)


	5. The Villa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timmy continues to travel through memories, this time revisiting Villa Albergoni--5 years after he and Armie first met.

April 2021--Villa Albergoni

They had planned this trip as a honeymoon--the Villa had been for sale, and Armie had arranged for them to stay a few nights, as an homage to their beginnings, and to bring their first chapter full circle--but that was back before the pandemic derailed Armie's divorce timeline.

As it was, the divorce had only been final for less than a month, and what a mess _that_ had been! Even though things like the split of assets and the custody arrangement had been agreed upon before going to the Caymans in May, once there, Liz had tried to change the game. He and Armie were so thankful that, with the availability of a covid vaccine, the courts finally shut down the Cayman shenanigans, Harper and Ford were in LA again, and the divorce and custody agreements were being enforced as written. So this wasn't a honeymoon...but it was nice to have some time away, just for them. 

Timmy had wandered out to the orchard in a t-shirt and swim trunks, waiting for Armie to join him for a quick dip and some lazing in the sun. He stopped and just let himself _feel_. The sun sneaking between the leaves, the sweet smell of apricots, the sound of the cicadas, the villa...it was like visiting a past life. And in a way it was. Five years ago, to this very day, Armie had walked into his piano lesson, into his life, and things had never been the same for either of them.

Timmy closed his eyes, and felt unusually settled--relaxed and happy--like all was _finally_ right in the world. _What did it really matter that they weren’t on their honeymoon? It would happen, just not today. But...but, why_ not _today?_ A kernel of thought started swirling in Timmy’s brain as he heard footsteps. He opened his eyes and saw Armie coming toward him in a t-shirt and one of the bathing suits he had stolen from his movie wardrobe.

“Armiiieee!” Timmy laughed as the man he loved with his whole heart closed the distance between them. “ _What_ are you wearing?”

Armie embraced Timmy with a chuckle. “Don’t give me that. I know you know what these are.” Armie pulled away enough to look at Timmy, “I guess I was feeling nostalgic. Did you realize that I walked into your piano lesson-”

“Five years ago today,” Timmy finished the sentence while reaching up and running his thumb over Armie’s lips, “I wasn’t sure you remembered.”

“Of course I remember. Next to the days my kids were born, I think that’s been the most important day of my life.”

Timmy looked up at Armie, a small furrow of confusion on his brow. 

“I mean it...that day was the start of discovering myself, of waking up from just going through the motions emotionally.” Armie suddenly looked down, away from Timmy’s gaze, but kept speaking, his voice quiet. “I feel like my messy life has been such a burden, sometimes I still wonder why you’ve stuck it out.”

Armie’s self-doubt made Timmy’s heart feel tight, and he ran his hand up Armie’s neck to caress his cheek. Armie leaned into the touch, eyes closed, “I’m sorry we’re not here on our honeymoon. There is nothing I want more in this moment than to be able to call you my husband.”

The ephemeral thought that had been forming before Armie had joined him suddenly shone bright and clear in Timmy’s mind. “But Armie, wh- what if you could? Call me your husband.” Seeing Armie’s confusion, he continued. “I mean, we didn’t get to have the wedding we first planned--but we could still do it...here, today--where it all started. Just the two of us." Timmy paused, trying to find the right words. "Don’t you see, Armie? We're at the end of that chapter. _This_ is our new beginning--and for the rest of our lives. And then at some point we do it again in front of family and friends, we can dress up, throw a party, and make it legal then...but we can have _this_ now.” 

Timmy waited, expecting a response and was surprised to hear none. He turned Armie’s face toward his and looked him in the eye. “Please, Armie...please- just say yes." 

Armie’s voice cracked, “Yes, absolutely yes. Timmy, I-...” Timmy didn’t wait for the rest of the reply before pulling Armie into a kiss, saying without words all that was in his heart. His knees buckled as the kiss deepened, and Armie caught him, pressing him to his chest for support. When they pulled apart, Armie ran his hands up Timmy’s neck, tipping his head back so that their eyes met. Timmy saw an intensity there that sent a thrill up his spine--this look was new, raw and exposed, and certain, and...hopeful? Holding Armie’s gaze, he pressed a hand over Armie’s heart and pulled one of Armie’s hands down, flattening it over his own heart.

“Armie,” he couldn’t help but smile. “I wrote vows, I swear I did...but words seem so inadequate right now.” He licked his lips and took a deep breath, “Armand Douglas Hammer. I am overwhelmed sometimes by the thought of what my life might have been had we not met, and by the fact that I wouldn’t even know that anything was missing. I feel honored to know your mind, your heart, your touch,... and I still wonder why you, you _incredible_ man, would choose me. You’ve supported me, taught me, protected me, loved me... you woke something in me that I didn’t know was there and I am the best version of myself when I’m with you. I love your strength and depth, and sheer will, and I will continue to stand proudly by your side as we face whatever life throws our way. I love you more than I ever thought possible, and I promise, here today, surrounded by our past, heading into our future, that I will love you until my last breath. I can’t wait to build our life together--for all four of us.” Hearing a gasp at those last words, Timmy raised his eyebrows and smiled, well, grimaced really, unsure of his own words. 

“Timmy….” Armie started, but then stopped--searching Timmy’s face and gaze. For what, he wasn’t sure...maybe some sign that this was too good to be true. He was overwhelmed that Timmy had thought to include Harper and Ford in his vows--but he found nothing but Timmy’s open soul staring back at him. He wiped away the tears that had welled in his eyes, took a deep breath, and smiled. “Timothée Hal Chalamet. I don’t have to imagine what my life would have been had we not met, because I was _living_ that life, and without you I would be still. I met you and I suddenly felt alive, more myself than I’d ever been. I may have taught you simple things, but you’ve taught me that true happiness is possible. You’ve loved me as I am, with all my mess and without expectation, and seeing myself through your eyes has given me the courage to be my authentic self and live the life I want,...our life together. You are a true partner, on an emotional, intellectual, and physical level. You bring joy and laughter to my life, and I am in awe, every day, of your generous heart, your openness, your talent...how you love and feel without holding back. I love you with all that I am, and I promise to spend the rest of my life by your side.”

Armie finished speaking and they both stilled, as if any move could shatter this moment. They leaned together, tentatively at first, but when their lips finally touched, it was with all the intensity of the words they had just spoken. Their bodies pulled tight against one another, leaving room only for the hands placed over each others’ hearts. Timmy hadn’t thought it would feel different, speaking this kind of commitment out loud...but it did--solid, and permanent. As their mouths opened and the kiss deepened, he could feel his own heartbeat, pounding in his chest, slowing a little to match the rhythm he felt under his hand. 

When the kiss ended, Armie leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together. Moments passed as they stood there, connected at their heads and their hearts, and Timmy felt the book of their lives turn to a new chapter--the pages clean and white, waiting for them to write their own story. Timmy suddenly knew what the first story should be. He covered the hand pressed over his heart with his own, and pulled it up to his lips for a kiss. 

“Armie, take me upstairs--let’s make this a honeymoon after all.”

\---

They walked back to the villa and up the stairs, fingers tangled together, not daring to let go--like they had to physically hold onto this moment, dare it slip between their fingers and away from them. Timmy’s stomach fluttered a little at the top of the stairs, as he followed a step behind Armie to the bedroom. They had shot the midnight scene there, and Timmy wondered whether it might be weird--life, imitating art, imitating life. But this was real, he thought, they were here in the light, as husbands--belonging to each other and no one else. 

Armie turned to him, searching his face before gently brushing Timmy’s curls back and cradling his face in his hands. The need, the want, the sheer desire was palpable as they gazed at each other, calm and unhurried, in silent agreement to savor this moment. Timmy snaked his hand up to the back of Armie’s neck, tangling his fingers in Armie’s hair, and pulled him forward until their lips met in a gentle, patient kiss. They kept kissing, warm and soft, until one of Armie’s hands slid around to the back of Timmy’s neck, pressing their lips even closer together and ramping up both the heat and intensity Timmy was feeling. Armie’s other hand trailed down Timmy’s spine to the small of his back, resting there but a moment before trailing further, under the waistband of his shorts to cup his ass. 

Timmy’s breath caught as Armie pulled their hips even closer, and he felt Armie’s excitement against his own. “Armie,” Timmy breathed, “Please.” Armie pulled back and they began to undress each other--slowly, with caresses and kisses covering the skin that was exposed as each new item of clothing was discarded. It was warm in the room, but the onslaught of gentle touch, hot breath, warm kisses, and a lick here or there left him shivering. He responded in kind, pulling Armie's shirt off and running his hands over Armie's golden skin, nuzzling against his chest, and teasing his nipples with his tongue and teeth. 

When they were both fully naked, they embraced in another kiss, their need becoming more immediate, and they stumbled toward the bed, unwilling to part. The momentum caused Timmy to lose his balance as his lower legs hit the edge of the bed. Armie threw out an arm to break the fall, and laid Timmy out on the bed, crawling after him.

Timmy relished the feel of Armie’s weight on him, pressing him into the mattress, slowly grinding their cocks together with a delicious friction. Dry at first, nearing the line of uncomfortable, it was real and raw--the need to be close, to be together, overriding comfort until Armie reached down and smeared their mingled pre-come along their lengths as they kissed, rolling their hips together with more need. Timmy felt himself at the very edge, but didn’t want itto be over yet--even though they had a lifetime of this ahead of them.

“Armie, stop,” panted Timmy. Armie immediately pulled his head back and looked down, concern written across his face. “It’s ok,” Timmy continued, “I just-, just want to come with you inside me-, please. I just don’t know how long I can hold on.”

Armie rolled to Timmy’s side and propped himself up on one elbow. “Better?,” Armie asked softly. Timmy nodded--the sudden absence of warmth had been effective at pulling him back from the edge. 

Armie looked down at his husband, “God, you’re beautiful,” he said with wonder, eyes trailing from Timmy’s face, along the graceful neck, pale expanse of chest and beyond, where soft hairs made a path from Timmy’s navel to his hard cock, pink against the pale skin of his belly, before trailing his gaze back up to make eye contact once again. “Can you try to hold on for me? Let me worship you.”

Timmy nodded, staring into Armie’s eyes. Armie cupped Timmy’s cheek and kissed the freckle at the top of Timmy’s cupid’s bow before sucking Timmy’s lip between his own and running his hand to Timmy’s neck, grasping firmly in a grip that he knew Timmy would recognize from rougher times. At Timmy’s gasp of recognition he released the pressure, and ran his hand up and down Timmy’s side. He leaned into Timmy’s neck, alternating soft, wet kisses with little licks, until he found the soft spot at its base, just above the clavicle, where he sucked, biting gently, knowing he would leave a mark. “Mine,” Armie growled. He heard Timmy sucking in through clenched teeth.

Armie grabbed the lube from the nightstand, dropping it beside him on the bed before shifting to kneel between Timmy’s legs. He caressed Timmy’s chest, flat palm smoothing down the middle and over the taut stomach, then trailing his fingers up to Timmy’s nipple. He continued to tease the nipple with his fingers and leaned in to take the other in his mouth. Timmy rolled his hips up, seeking friction against Armie’s abdomen, his cock uncomfortably hard and leaking. 

Seeing the state of Timmy’s cock and taking pity, Armie poured lube on his fingers and lifted one of Timmy’s legs. “Breathe baby, hang with me.” He dragged his fingers, slick with lube, along Timmy's crack, teasing his hole, rubbing, pressing, but not breaching. He leaned over and sucked Timmy’s cock into his mouth, while simultaneously plunging his middle finger inside Timmy’s warm, tight hole. 

Timmy groaned and writhed, clenching the tangled sheet in his fists. Armie knew he was close to the edge once again and pulled his mouth off, hoping it would buy him some time. He continued moving his middle finger in and out, drizzling more lube before pressing a second finger in, slowly scissoring them to stretch Timmy open--he didn't want pain to be any part of their memory of this day. He heard Timmy pleading, “Armie, please, that’s enough...please. I need you inside me.” Hearing Timmy's desperation, on top of the emotion of the moment and the fact that they were _here_ , where it all began, stirred his desire beyond anything he'd ever felt before. _Now_ , he thought, _no more waiting._

Armie pulled Timmy’s other leg up and leaned forward, planting his elbow beside Timmy’s head, and staring into his eyes. Armie wrapped a hand around his own cock and rubbed it along Timmy’s crack, smearing lube down his length, before lining himself up and pushing into Timmy in one long stroke while simultaneously crashing his lips down onto Timmy’s open mouth in a passionate kiss. 

He felt Timmy’s back arch with the sudden sensation, deepening the penetration, and Armie stilled, his balls pressed against stretched skin, feeling Timmy slowly clenching and unclenching around him. He lifted his head and watched, waiting for a sign, and at the almost imperceptible nod began slowly moving, more of a grind than anything, not wanting to pull away from the feeling of skin against skin.

Timmy started thrusting his hips upward in rhythm with the movement, and Armie felt him wrap his legs up and around him, heels pushing down on his ass. “More,” Timmy whispered breathlessly, running one hand up to the back of Armie’s head, gripping his hair and pressing their mouths together again, open and hot, while the other hand found its way to Armie’s back, nails digging into his skin. Armie needed no encouragement, but the unexpected drag of Timmy’s nails stoked the fire already burning inside him. 

He sped up, nearly pulling out on each stroke, angling just right to drag across Timmy’s prostate over and over. Timmy began to babble incoherently, and Armie looked down to see him desperately trying to hang on, his gorgeous curls damp with sweat. He reached between them and gripped Timmy's cock, sliding his hand up its length and running his thumb over the slit. “Come for me,” Armie whispered into Timmy’s ear, and immediately felt Timmy clench around him. “Arrmmiee,” Timmy cried out against Armie’s lips as he came, shooting thick ropes of white between them. Armie continued his strokes, holding Timmy through several shudders as his orgasm came to completion. When he was sure Timmy was finished, Armie let himself go with a groan. Timmy felt the warm come wash deep inside him and shuddered one last time, feeling Armie collapse on top of him, pressing him into the mattress once again. 

The side of Armie’s face suddenly felt wet and he lifted his head to the vision of silent tears streaming from Timmy’s eyes. He gently held Timmy’s face in his hands, alternating kissing the tears and wiping them away with his thumbs. Timmy stuttered, “I-, I’m ok...really. I just-...I wasn’t sure we’d ever have this. It almost doesn't feel real sometimes."

Armie's brain couldn't find the words his heart wanted to say. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Timmy's and did his best to communicate _love, forever, soul mates,...home._ He felt the world melt away and realized that if this wasn't already his life, he could happily live forever in this one perfect moment.

Armie rolled to the side and propped his head up on his hand, looking down at the man beside him. They stayed that way, staring into each other’s eyes until Timmy broke the silence with a giggle, glancing down at his own chest and asking, “Armie...what are you _doing_?” Confused, Armie turned his head to see what Timmy was talking about, and saw that he had been absentmindedly tracing a heart pattern in the come slowly drying on Timmy’s chest. He laughed and shook his head, “Oh, sorry...I’ll go get a washcloth to clean up,” and started to sit up.

“Don’t,” Timmy said as he pulled him back down. “Please stay.”

“Always,” Armie said, “You’re mine now.”

“Armie,” Timmy said, shaking his head, “I’ve always been yours.” 


	6. The House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing on the path of memories--Armie and Timmy buy a house, and try to get unpacked before the kids get there.

January 2022--Los Angeles

The hum of the engine nearly lulled Timmy to sleep as Armie navigated the horrific LA traffic home from LAX. They were just getting back from New York after getting married, legally this time, on New Year’s Eve. He huffed a little, mentally correcting himself that he had been in New York “to celebrate his birthday and New Year’s Eve with family and friends.” Timmy’s mouth turned up in a smirk at how their teams had come up with _that_ explanation, thinking it provided plausible cover. Armie heard the little exhale and turned to Timmy, “Everything ok?”

“Yeah, just thinking about ‘celebrating my birthday,’” he said, rolling his eyes and making finger quotes. 

Armie chuckled, “Oh, come on. I know you had a good time...You looked so happy and free. You even made me forget I hate dancing."

Timmy's heart sang at the memory of their first dance--how their whispered declarations of love, barely audible over the ethereal strains of Sufjan Steven's "Come Run Away With Me," seemed to block out the existence of the rest of the world. His eyelids fell and a warm, peaceful feeling washed over him, but then a different memory, one of Armie flailing about on the dance floor later in the evening, broke the spell and he laughed. "I know, I know...I'm not saying it wasn't fun. It just wasn't 'celebrating my birthday’."

Armie nodded his head in agreement, but continued, "It was kind of ingenious to have the wedding on New Year’s Eve, don't you think?--it’ll provide cover for our anniversary celebrations.”

Armie’s words made Timmy pause. “Huh,” his voice got quiet, “I guess I was thinking our anniversary would be in April.” He thought of those spontaneous vows, just the two of them in the dappled sunlight under the trees, and felt those were the true beginning of this chapter of their lives. He didn’t like the thought of letting that pass unrecognized, and was about to say something. Armie, however, beat him to it. “We should celebrate both. A secret anniversary, just for us, and a normal one that our friends and family know about.” 

Timmy nodded, and closed his eyes. He felt exhaustion creeping in, which wouldn’t do--Liz would be dropping the kids off in a couple of days. They’d closed on a house right before leaving for New York, and hadn’t even been there since the movers dropped all the boxes off. 

“Hey, do you mind running by the Coffee Commissary? I need some serious caffeine and unless the magic unpacking elves visited while we were gone it will be a bit before we can make it at home. If I order now it will be ready by the time we get there.” Armie nodded and Timmy finished up the order. 

A half-hour and two empty coffee cups later, Armie pulled into their driveway. Timmy looked at the house and was still taken by the novelty of it all. He _owned_ a house! Well, he and _Armie_ owned a house, which was even better. They had looked for a while, but after seeing house after house filled with sterile white and chrome everything, they had almost given up. Armie had seen this house as he was driving Ford to a playdate in the neighborhood and had immediately arranged for them to see it. It was different from anything else they'd seen--it was an older home that had been carefully updated to provide modern convenience while preserving its quirky soul, and Timmy immediately knew it was the one. They both felt it the minute they stepped inside the very first time--it just felt right. 

Somehow it was spacious and cozy at the same time, and exactly what they needed--4 bedrooms, with the master on the opposite side of the house from the secondary bedrooms so they wouldn't feel like they had to keep quiet when the kids were there, a master bath with a shower big enough for two with a high showerhead so Armie didn’t have to hunch over to wash his hair, high ceilings, and a kitchen with a Viking range and Sub-zero fridge so Armie could unleash his inner chef. It was like whoever did the renovation had designed it with them in mind, and there wasn’t anything Timmy would have changed. The front yard was small, but the backyard was magical--a pool and hot tub lined with rock formations, an outdoor kitchen, ample seating, a firepit, several large trees that provided shade and privacy, and even a patch of grass big enough for some soccer or a swingset. The street was quiet, with the least amount of traffic Timmy thought he’d ever seen in LA, and there were kids out playing. It was perfect, and Timmy couldn’t wait to show it to the kids.

They grabbed the suitcases out of the trunk and walked up to the door. Armie unlocked it and set the suitcases inside, and the next thing Timmy knew he was being scooped up into a bridal hold and carried across the threshold. Armie kicked the door shut behind him and set Timmy down, his feet barely touching the ground before he found himself up against the door, helpless against Armie’s inviting mouth and body pressing up against his own. Armie kissed him, hot and urgent, and Timmy could only give himself up to the moment, opening his mouth and tangling their tongues together. Armie trailed his lips across Timmy’s cheek and down to his neck, right below his ear, alternating between nuzzling and planting warm, wet, open-mouthed kisses. Timmy tipped his head back in pleasure and felt himself harden, craving the friction of Armie’s cock against his own. Before his mind could catch up to what was happening, he heard Armie: 

“I want you” (kiss)

“here in” (nuzzle)

“our house” (grind)

An excited moan rose up from deep in Timmy’s throat as Armie pulled his shirt over his head and started a trail of kisses down his chest while making quick work of his fly. “Oh god… Armie… ungh....so many rooms to christen.” The air crackled with want as Timmy watched Armie sink to his knees.

“Well, we'd better get started,” Armie growled, pupils wide, “the kids will be here in two days.” Armie yanked Timmy’s skinny jeans down, but only got them to his knees before giving up in frustration. He mouthed at Timmy’s cock through his boxers, the cloth straining against his still-growing erection until the tip of his cock started peeking out the top, glistening with precome. Armie nudged his nose and chin against Timmy’s balls and dragged the pressure up, and Timmy twitched at the sensation of Armie’s hot breath along his length. He let out a desperate “Fu-uck,” as Amie reached under his waistband and pulled the boxers down, and he felt himself getting a little weak-kneed as Armie seemed to swallow him whole. Armie ran his hands up the back of Timmy’s thighs and cupped his ass, one cheek in each hand, with the dual benefit of both pulling Timmy closer and holding him up. 

Armie relentlessly sucked...and licked...and hollowed his cheeks, and it wasn’t long before Timmy lost control and started thrusting. He looked down and met Armie's heavy-lidded gaze with his own, letting his eyes drift to the sight of Armie's lips wrapped around him. Timmy found the sight overwhelmingly erotic, and an electric charge seemed to course though his body in response. His breathing became heavy and erratic, and he heard himself emit a low groan as the fingers he had been running through Armie’s hair clenched into fists, pulling at the roots. Armie hummed his pleasure at the sensation and Timmy felt himself explode, shooting his release down Armie’s throat with a final thrust. He felt Armie's hands clutching his ass, holding him in place until he had nothing left.

When his body finally stilled, Timmy relaxed his fingers, and gently caressed Armie’s cheek. His legs wobbled a bit as Armie pulled back, the sudden lack of warmth a shock. Hands still gripping Timmy’s ass, Armie helped him to the floor, where they lay in a heap.

“That was-” Timmy started speaking, between heavy breaths.

“Yeah…” Armie grinned.

They laid there, waiting for their breathing to calm and heartbeats slow. Timmy was the first to break the silence. “Your turn next," he said matter-of-factly, "I’m thinking, uh,... living room?" Timmy paused, “I'm going to need another minute though." He wondered aloud whether they'd have time to get around to the backyard as well--the hot tub, the pool, the lounge chairs…the possibilities seemed endless.

He sat up and grabbed his water bottle from his travel bag and took a long drink. Timmy looked toward the living room and saw piles of boxes waiting to be unpacked. Yeah... _that_ was going to have to wait, he thought, as his body recovered and he started feeling ready to go again. 

Timmy offered the water to Armie, and at his refusal leaned down and gave him a passionate kiss, sliding his hand inside the front of Armie’s pants, wrapping it around Armie’s still-hard cock, and pulling in long, slow strokes and running his thumb across the slit. He pulled back a few minutes later when Armie started rolling his hips up into Timmy’s fist. “Oh, no, no, no,” Timmy chastised with a smile, "I have bigger plans than this. Follow me.” Timmy got up, pulling his shoes off and hopping a bit to get his pants off completely. “Grab the lube out of the front zipper pocket,” he continued, tossing his head toward his suitcase, “We’re going to need it... Oh, and you have _entirely_ too many clothes on.” Timmy turned and started walking away, “See what you can do about that.” Armie sat up eagerly and began blindly fumbling with the bag’s zipper--his eyes busy appreciating Timmy’s beautiful, pale ass as he disappeared into the living room. 

A day-and-a-half later, Timmy and Armie were exhausted but satiated, and not a damn thing had been unpacked. Well, that wasn't _exactly_ true...there was a single, medium-sized box in the bedroom, labelled "flannel shirts," that had been opened and rummaged through with enthusiasm--the one flannel shirt they had packed at the top, as camouflage for what lay underneath, had been unceremoniously tossed aside to get at the ropes, cuffs, and toys underneath, but still... 

When Liz arrived with the kids, she looked around at the stacks of boxes and cocked an eyebrow. Timmy, quick on his feet, just leaned down to eye-level and told the kids they had purposely waited for them to get there to unpack, so that they could have a say in how things were set up. 


	7. The Question

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timmy remembers trying his best to figure out the whole stepdad thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT: This chapter certainly doesn't paint Liz in a positive light, so please skip it if you are uncomfortable with that--you'll get no judgement from me. The overall story will still make sense if you skip straight to the next chapter. There's a quick summary in the endnotes if you want to skip ahead but would like a little more on what transpires here.

April 2022--Los Angeles

It had only been a few months since he and Armie had moved into their LA home, and they were both grateful that he’d had a few months off in his busy shooting schedule to just be here, letting the kids get used to the idea that Timmy and Daddy loved each other very much and that Timmy was part of their family now. The kids had been a little confused at first, seeing Timmy as the playmate he'd always been in the past, but after about a month the kids settled with the idea and Timmy had taken on a quasi-parental role--maybe more like a favorite uncle really...he _absolutely_ let Armie deal with the hard stuff. 

Timmy was hanging out with the kids while Armie had to take care of some local promo for his latest movie. They had baked some cookies, and the kids and the kitchen were such a mess...but it was so adorable he snapped a quick picture and sent it to Armie. A while later he was cuddled up with the kids on the couch reading a book, with voices of course, and when the story was over Harper looked up, “How many likes did we get?”

“Hmmm,” Timmy tried to buy some time, because he wasn’t sure what she was asking, “What do you mean?” 

“That picture you took of us baking cookies. How many likes did we get? Mom always tells us when we get a lot of likes.”

“Oh, I didn’t post that,” Timmy explained, “I sent it to your dad so he could see how much fun we were having.” Timmy watched as Harper’s expression fell. “Hey...hey, what’s wrong, Hopsey?” 

“Aren’t you proud of us?”

Timmy’s heart broke a little as he pulled both kids closer. “What? I’m very proud of you both, and I love you both very much. What would ever make you question that?”

“Then why didn’t you post the picture? Mom says posting our pictures shows she loves us and is proud of us."

Timmy took a breath. Liz’s constant posting of the kids on Instagram was a sore point in the delicate shared-custody arrangement, and he knew Armie would prevent it if he could. Armie had even tried to limit posting as part of the custody agreement, but that plan was derailed at the last minute when Liz started playing dirty. Timmy knew that, once the dust settled, Armie felt lucky to have shared custody at all. 

Harper's question put Timmy squarely in “hard stuff” territory, and he wished he could defer to Armie, but Armie wasn’t here. He couldn’t stand the thought that the kids would think that he didn’t love them or wasn’t proud of them--and how fucked up was that, really? He forged ahead.

“Well, most of the time I just like to keep things private.”

“Why?”

“Well, it is safer for sure. A couple of years ago, someone posted a picture of me in front of a hotel I was staying at. The next morning, there were a lot of people there wanting to take pictures and talk to me, but I needed to leave and they got angry. It was scary and I didn’t like it at all. So that’s part of it...but it is also nice to just share with your dad, because it feels special--like just for us. He really liked the picture, and that’s all that matters to me. Do you want to see what he said?”

Harper nodded, and Timmy showed the kids Armie’s text response to their picture, full of hearts and smiles, and that seemed the end of that. He made a mental note to tell Armie about Harper’s question, in case she had questions later, and then moved on to another book, this one alternating French and English text, eliciting a request from Harper to teach them French.

The next evening, the kids were back with Liz, and Armie and Timmy had gone full domestic. They’d made a nice dinner and enjoyed it on the patio with a well-paired wine, and had watched a new movie from a director Timmy was considering working with. When the movie ended, they stayed on the couch, Armie reading a book and Timmy going through a script Brian had sent over. Armie had an arm across Timmy’s shoulders, bent at the elbow and stroking his fingers through Timmy’s hair. Timmy smiled as he caught himself absentmindedly stroking Armie’s thigh--there had been a time when this kind of casual, mindless touching was a luxury for them--and the fact that it was so easy now, and that they had _time_...well, he loved it. 

He looked up at Armie and knew the perfect way to end their evening. He planted a soft kiss just under Armie’s jaw to broadcast his thoughts, but before Armie could even respond they heard the doorbell ringing multiple times, followed by pounding on the door, and a very angry Liz screeching “Armie! Open up! What the fuck did you say to them?”

They untangled and went to answer the door, exchanging confused looks and a “what is this about,” and a “hell if I know,” along the way.

Armie opened the door, “Hey, Liz.”

“Armie Hammer, don’t you ‘Hey, Liz’ me.” She snarled, “What the fuck did you do?”

“Could you just come inside and not disturb the neighbors please--it’s getting late” Armie said wearily, hands up trying to placate his furious ex. She stepped inside and he closed the door behind her, saying, “I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Armie’s response only fueled Liz’s fury. “Don’t give me that! Harper says she doesn’t want me to post pictures of her anymore. Something about wanting to be _safe_ , and _private_ , and keeping things ‘special,’” Liz spat out, using exaggerated finger quotes on the last word. “Is any of this ringing a bell?”

Timmy scrunched his eyes shut in a grimace. Of course Armie didn’t know...he’d forgotten to tell him about his and Harper’s little exchange. Fuck! He took a deep breath “Guys, I’m sure this is coming from a conversation Hops and I had yesterday. So Liz, if you have to blame anyone, blame me.” 

Timmy apologetically explained the conversation he’d had with Harper, and at the end simply stated, “She seemed so sad. I just wanted her to understand why I shared the picture with Armie without posting it. I only told her the truth of the situation.” 

“It’s not your business to say those kinds of things to _my_ kids, _Timmy_ ,” Liz snarled through clenched teeth.

Something clicked inside Timmy and anger replaced contrition. His lip rose in a snarl and the words started coming out of his mouth before he even had a chance to think about whether they were a good idea. "That’s bullshit! It _is_ my business!," he said, his voice rising in anger, "You may not like it, but I _am_ their stepdad, and I _will_ do whatever I can to take care of them! To love them! To support them!" Liz's eyes narrowed as he continued. "I _will_ tell them the truth--including why I don't post their pictures, and that it has _nothing_ to do with whether I'm proud of them or love them! And if you have a problem with that then fuck off!" 

The anger rippled off Liz in waves as she turned around, and marched out the door, slamming it behind her. Timmy stared at the closed door, shocked at his own outburst. He took a deep breath, and only then realized his outburst may have just fucked everything up. Liz was always difficult, but now… He turned to apologize to Armie.

Armie was clearly pissed off--all clenched jaw and fists. Timmy immediately stepped toward him and apologized, “Armie, I’m so sorry. I-,...I’m just new to this and I made a mistake. I meant to tell you what Hops said, but-,... I forgot." Timmy's eyebrows came together in worry as Armie continued staring coldly ahead. "Armie-, I promise...If something like this happens again, I’ll just-, uh,...tell the kids to wait and ask you. I didn’t mean to cause a problem, I swear. And I didn't mean to yell at Liz. Fuck!...I’m so sorry.” 

Armie blinked at Timmy, like he was only just seeing him there, relaxed his jaw and fists, and pulled Timmy into his arms. “Shh. Babe, it’s ok...Well, not ok, but I’m not mad.” Armie reconsidered, “Well...I’m not mad at _you_.” Timmy looked up, confused, and Armie continued. “Can you walk me through what Harper said again? And maybe can we take some notes before it leaves your memory? I’m going to call Laura in the morning and see if there's anything we can do to stop Liz from posting pictures of the kids without having to go back to court.” Armie started shaking his head and a heavy sigh escaped his lips. “I didn’t like it before, but I let it go.” He paused and shook his head, "I guess I was trying to keep up the charade of supportive co-parenting, but this is just too much. I need to fight this, or at least get it on the record.” Armie ran his hand up and down Timmy’s back, comforting them both. “I’m really sorry you had to deal with all of this.” 

Timmy leaned into Armie, “Armie...parenting is hard... I'm really trying.” 

“I know, babe.” Armie leaned down for a quick kiss, “For what it's worth, I think you're doing great. Thank you for putting up with my messy life.”

Timmy breathed a sigh of relief and cupped Armie’s face in his hands, meeting his eyes, “ _Our_ messy life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who didn't want to read this chapter due to the headnote--the chapter was basically Timmy explaining to the kids why he doesn't post pictures of them on his social media, and Liz being unhappy with his explanations. The purpose of the chapter is to show how Timmy is figuring out his own role in the kids' lives.


	8. The Neighbors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timmy remembers entertaining new neighbors, and opening the door to a possible future

September 2024--Los Angeles

Timmy was excited, but also a little nervous. He and Armie were having their new neighbors over to dinner and he hadn’t had a chance to meet them yet. They’d moved in right before he left to spend several weeks in Jordan filming the second half of Dune, but the kids had told him all about their new best friends next door during their facetime calls--it turned out the family that had moved in had a boy and girl just about the same ages as Harper and Ford. Armie had met the parents while they were all out in the front yard supervising the kids, and judged them to be smart, kind, and discreet. Still, Timmy worried--he and Armie were somewhat of an open secret in their professional lives--a lot of people “knew,” but they didn’t _know._ They had spent their entire relationship being careful in their interactions, as the last thing they needed was someone running to one of the gossip sites or posting something to Instagram or Twitter. But he trusted Armie’s judgement, so they were entertaining the new neighbors like a normal couple. 

He shouldn’t have worried, the neighbors were lovely, and the wine and laughs flowed freely, with the couples bonding over parenting stories. After dinner, as the kids ran amok in the yard, the conversation turned to work. Max and Jennifer were interested, but not _too_ interested, in acting and the industry--with most of their questions around the process of making movies rather than in anything personal. Armie, who had started exploring directing and was trying to get his first film together, was in heaven explaining everything. 

When the conversation turned away from movies, Timmy asked Jennifer about her work, and was fascinated to find out she was a professor at UCLA, focused on molecular cell biology and currently involved in research using the CRISPR gene-editing technology in embryos. Jennifer explained that they were working on ways to edit out hereditary diseases, but that they were also exploring the possibility of being able to just replace an entire chromosome within a cell. 

Listening intently, Armie asked, “What would be the benefit of replacing whole chromosomes rather than just editing?”

“Well, it is really just a pipe dream at this point,” Jennifer replied, “but from a reproductive science standpoint, it could give couples who can’t produce viable egg cells on their own a chance to have a genetic child together. We think we might eventually be able to replace the entire chromosome in an egg.”

Timmy did his best to hide his surprise. Could this be true? Would the chromosome for the egg have to come from a woman? He didn’t remember everything from his high school biology class, but he remembered enough...and he had _questions_. Images of his and Armie's impossible children from the old Tumblr post flashed in his mind. As the conversation steered toward Max’s work, Timmy made a mental note to follow up with Jennifer if he had the opportunity.

As the evening wound down and Jennifer helped carry some plates into the kitchen, Timmy saw his chance. “So...the idea of replacing whole chromosomes. I hadn’t heard that before.”

Jennifer smiled, “It’s really exciting...well, _I_ find it exciting at least--but there aren’t many labs working on it yet. The focus is still on perfecting the gene-editing technique, but I think it might be easier to replace the whole chromosome, because then you don’t need the proteins to bond back together. I’ve been trying to get some grant funding to explore the idea.”

“Biologically, would the replacement chromosome in the egg have to come from a woman? I mean, could that technology be used to allow two men to have a child together?”

Jennifer was quiet, obviously thinking. “Hmmm...that’s an interesting question.” She nodded her head, like she was agreeing with whatever she was thinking, and continued, “I really don’t know that we’ve ever thought about that. I think it is something worth exploring.” Jennifer raised an eyebrow, “Forgive me for being so forward, but is that something you and Armie would be interested in?”

“I don’t know really, I mean, we have Harper and Ford, and they are amazing...but, I-- I’ve always wondered what _our_ child would be like. I mean, if we could have one together.” 

Timmy immediately felt like he had shared too much, and was relieved when the conversation was interrupted by a whirlwind of four kids chased by two husbands racing into the house for ice cream.

Later that night, after they had said their goodbyes and gotten the kids down to bed, Timmy found Armie reclining on the couch. He planted his knees on either side of Armie’s thighs, leaned forward, and gently brushed their lips together.

“Mmm,” Armie made a soft, low humming sound that made Timmy feel all warm inside, “Did you have fun tonight?”

“I did. It was really nice to just feel like a normal couple, with normal lives.”

Timmy collapsed onto Armies chest as they enjoyed the comfort of the couch and the silence of the room. Armie pulled him close and Timmy felt a warm exhale in his curls as their breathing fell into a synchronous rhythm. Timmy was torn on whether he should bring up the conversation he'd had with Jennifer. He and Armie didn’t keep secrets from each other--that just wasn’t their way. Timmy knew that after so many years hiding his authentic self, Armie was all in on being open, and it had served them well. But this idea of having a child together...it was big, and would change everything, and Timmy wasn’t sure he was ready to have that conversation. He loved the life he and Armie had built, their home, their careers, their family, and never wanted Armie to feel like it wasn’t enough. And really, who knew if editing a whole chromosome into an egg, a man’s chromosome even, would ever be a possibility. After going back and forth a few more times, Timmy decided to let it go.

Armie, of course, had other plans. “Babe,” he said softly on his next exhale,”I can hear you thinking.”

Timmy pushed himself off Armie’s chest and looked into his eyes intently. “Do you ever think about having another kid?”

He saw the surprise in Armie’s eyes. “I do,” he admitted, “I love the way you’ve opened your heart and made room for Harper and Ford, and if that’s all we get I would still feel beyond grateful...but sometimes I think about what it would be like to raise a child with you from scratch.”

“From scratch?” Timmy giggled and slapped his hand against Armie's chest, the heaviness of the mood broken. “We’re talking about a kid, Armie...not a cake!”

“Eh, same concept,” Armie grinned, tilting his head and shrugging a shoulder. After a few seconds of silence, he asked, “Do you?-- Think about having a kid?”

Timmy’s eyes drifted downward and he inhaled deeply before looking up through his lashes, “I do...but whenever my mind goes there I get stuck on wanting a child _with_ _you_.” 

“Oh, Timmy...baby.” Armie lifted his hands to Timmy’s face, pulled him forward, and gently kissed his forehead, right at his hairline.

“Armie,” Timmy pushed back to make eye contact again, and then said, so quietly it was almost a whisper, “The research Jennifer and her team are doing might make it possible some day.” 

Armie paused and inhaled, letting what he heard soak in before responding "Timmy, if that day ever comes we will have the most beautiful dream children."

Timmy pressed his hand over Armie's heart, "Dream children?"

Armie grabbed his phone from the coffee table. "It's silly, really," he said, pulling up a photo. "Not long after I got back to LA after the Cayman debacle, I got tagged on a post where someone used a face app to see what our kids would look like. I don't know...I felt like-- like, drawn to it?” He shook his head, “ I know I'm not making any sense...just-, look." Armie held his phone out and looked up, only to see Timmy head down in his own phone. A second later Timmy looked up with bright eyes and a smile, holding up an identical photo for Armie to see. "I've always thought of them as our impossible children," Timmy said, glancing back down at the phone, "But I think I like dream children better."

“Impossible children has a nice ring too,” murmured Armie, leaning forward to give Timmy a quick kiss. "Come on, it's getting late. Let's go to bed."

"Like sleeping? Or-..."

Armie broke into a playful grin. "Well, I think that depends on you."

Timmy wiggled his eyebrows and licked the corner of the grin that had found its way to his lips. His eyes twinkled in anticipation. "You'd better not be teasing me, Armie." He crawled off the couch and started heading to their bedroom. Armie caught up to him and gave his ass a quick squeeze, “Hmm...I don’t know, teasing can be fun.”

The playful banter continued down the hall and into the bedroom, where Armie closed the door, leaned back against it, and slowly dragged his eyes from Timmy’s mouth, down to the fabric straining over Timmy’s cock, already bulging in anticipation, and back up to his eyes. Armie’s mouth fell open just a bit, and Timmy saw the tip of his tongue rolling over one of his sharp canine teeth. Timmy stepped forward and pressed Armie against the door, reaching behind him and turning the lock. “I don’t think we want the kids walking in on this,” he said with a smirk.

“Mmfh,” Armie had been ready with a sassy comeback, but Timmy had already covered Armie’s mouth with his own, his tongue wrapping into Armie’s mouth and rolling over the same canine Armie had been playing with earlier. 

“Mmmm,” Timmy hummed, voice low with desire, “your teeth…” 

Armie ran his hand up the back of Timmy’s neck and into his curls. He closed his fist, pulling Timmy’s head back and exposing his long pale neck. Armie leaned down and started sucking just above the collarbone. “Yeah?” asked Armie, “what about them?” He mouthed and sucked at the spot again before biting down. 

“They’re-,” Timmy couldn’t finish the thought, the beautiful pain of Armie’s gentle bite pulling his mind away from anything but moving this along. He reveled in the knowledge that it would take days for that mark to fade. As much as he loved their happy, fluffy family life, there were times he just wanted to feel _owned_ \--and Armie never failed to deliver. 

Timmy reached down and pressed his hand over Armie’s rock-hard cock--pleased with himself that precome was already leaking through the fabric. He pushed further, until his hand was cupping Armie’s balls, and gave a not-so-gentle squeeze. Armie gasped and let go of Timmy’s hair, flattening his hand against the back of Timmy’s head and pulling him forward into a hot, sloppy kiss, all teeth and tongue. 

Timmy broke away from the kiss, pulling at Armie's lower lip with his teeth, and yanked Armie’s shirt out of his pants, pulling it up and over Armie’s head with both hands. He started unbuckling Armie’s belt with one hand, and ran the other over Armie’s chest before planting his mouth on Armie’s left nipple--flicking his tongue over the nub while sucking. He loved this nipple--just under the EGBA tattoo... _Everything’s Gonna Be Alright, indeed_ , he thought as he felt Armie’s hips thrust and his cock twitch. He pulled his mouth off the nipple with a quick flick of the tongue and continued kissing a trail down his chest. He lowered himself to his knees, looking up at Armie and reflexively running his tongue over his teeth and then biting his lip while his long fingers nimbly opened Armie’s fly. 

Timmy pushed the pants and boxers down and pressed his face forward against Armie’s cock, inhaling deeply. He nuzzled his face up and down Armie’s hot, hard length. He knew that he hadn’t shaved since the morning, and, while his facial hair was sparse, there would be roughness there. He glanced up at Armie and found this move had had its intended effect. Armie’s pupils were blown wide, and his breathing heavy. “Tim,” he whispered on his next exhale. 

He kept his eyes on Armie as he brought his hand up and cupped Armie’s balls, pressing his nose forward and exhaling hot breath before flattening his tongue and licking slowly from the taint to the tip of Armie's cock. He licked around the head, paying special attention to the sensitive frenulum before taking just the head in his mouth and continued to swirl his tongue around and around. Armie’s mouth dropped open in an expression toeing the line between pleasure and torture, and he groaned unintelligibly.

Timmy tilted his head, opened his throat, and pushed forward, gripping the base of Armie’s cock with his hand and giving it a little twist. Armie’s cock was thick and long, and though sometimes he could take the whole thing in his mouth when things were just getting started, he had never been successful when Armie was this hard. But Timmy didn’t do anything halfway, and he tried his best--repeatedly sucking and pulling until Armie started thrusting. He felt Armie’s hand in his hair, pushing Timmy forward to meet his thrusts. Mouth stretched wide with spit dripping down his chin, he glanced up and made eye contact with Armie, who had been watching intently. He reached down into his own pants and pulled himself out, wrapping his hand tightly around his cock. He made sure Armie was watching and then gave it a stroke, thumbing over his own slit. Armie’s eyes went wide at the sight of Timmy pleasuring himself, and it was too much.

“Fuck, Timmy, can I-?” Timmy nodded and hummed an "umm hmm," hollowing his cheeks, and felt the hot come shoot into his mouth and down his throat. Groaning, he thrust his own cock forward and felt his release shoot up onto the shirt that he'd never gotten around to taking off. His own cock twitching, Timmy slowed, mindful of the sensitivity Armie was surely feeling, but not wanting to waste a single drop. When Armie stilled, he released his suction, gave a final lick up Armie's length with the flat of his tongue, and leaned back on his knees.

Armie’s back slid down the door until he was seated, legs splayed out in front of him. Timmy walked forward on his knees, his cock hanging over the waistband of his pants and looking utterly debauched, until he was straddling Armie’s lap. He leaned down to touch Armie’s forehead with his own. “Fuck, Timmy, that was…,” Armie struggled to say between gasps. Timmy could only nod. After several minutes, Timmy tipped his head and licked across Armie’s lips while grinding down into Armie's lap with a little swirl of his hips. 

“Really Timmy, are you _trying_ to kill me?” 

Timmy giggled, “Armie, no...this is just one of the benefits of having a much, _much_ younger husband.” He jumped up, ran into the master bathroom, and started the shower before poking his head back out. “Come on, I need help cleaning up. If it weren’t for you I wouldn’t be such a mess.”

Despite Timmy's teasing, they were both getting tired, and knew at least one of them would have to be awake and on breakfast duty in only a few hours. They spent the shower relaxing instead of readying for round two. Armie gently washed Timmy’s hair and body, running his hands over the glistening pale expanse of Timmy’s back. He leaned in, pressing Timmy’s back to his chest, and buried himself in Timmy’s neck, the water dripping from Timmy’s curls and into his eyes. Timmy turned to face him, tipped his mouth up for a kiss, and Armie could still taste himself there. His body perked up at the feeling of a warm, wet, slippery Timmy in his arms and he rolled his hips forward.

“Mmmh,” Timmy said, voice hoarse and sleepy, “What’cha doin-?”

Armie smiled teasingly, “What happened to my much, _much_ younger husband?”

“He’s now your much, much, _sleepier_ husband,” Timmy replied.

Armie turned the water off, grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around Timmy. All of their towels were Armie-sized--a regular towel didn’t cover much when you were nearly six and a half feet tall--so it draped over Timmy’s curls and still nearly reached the floor. Armie wrapped a towel around his own waist and rubbed his hands over Timmy, helping him dry. He knew how cold Timmy could get stepping out of the shower, and going to bed with wet hair would leave him chilled. Armie smiled, thinking forward to what Timmy’s hair would look like in the morning. It was always wild, the very definition of bed-head, but when he went to bed with wet hair...well, _that_ was an epic sight to behold.

After drying off and putting boxers on, they made their way to the bed, with Timmy making a detour to unlock the door and crack it open just a bit in case the kids needed them during the night. Armie saw that simple act, putting the kids first without even thinking about it, and in that moment he knew that, if it were ever possible...if science _ever_ made that giant leap, he would jump at the chance to have a baby _with_ Timmy.

They lay there in the dark, Armie on his back, Timmy curled up to his side stroking his fingers through the hair on Armie’s chest. Armie sighed, “Timmy, I’d really love to have a baby with you.” Timmy didn’t respond right away, and Armie thought he might have fallen asleep. Then Timmy started talking.

"Me too, but it's not that easy, is it?" Timmy asked. "You know, when I first saw those pictures of our impossible children, I made a whole mental checklist of all the pieces that would have to fall into place for expanding our family to work. And while I think we already have a lot of the pieces, the ones we're missing are critical."

"What all was on your list?"

"Well, getting married, having a house, figuring out my role in Hops and Fordy's lives-"

"Done, done, and done," Armie interrupted.

"Yes...," Timmy paused, "but the last two are big. One, we'd have to figure out how--like, should we adopt? Would it be better to use a surrogate? Who would be the biological father--that sort of thing." Timmy felt Armie nodding in understanding, and continued, "And maybe even a bigger issue is that we'd need to come out publicly as a couple. We have to be so careful now, can you imagine what it would be like with a baby? a toddler? TMZ would be all over it if either of us were even _seen_ with a baby." Timmy's voice suddenly became adamant, "I refuse to hide our baby away, Armie--I just won't do it." After a minute of silence, Timmy yawned, fighting to keep his eyes open, but continued, his voice going sleepy and soft, "I want to be able to take our kid to the park Armie, _together…_ I want to show them the animals at the zoo and jump in the waves at the beach, and I don't want to have to do it alone."

Armie thought over what Timmy had just said. "You know--we should just come out--whether we end up having a kid or not. I'm tired of hiding, and I think it might just be time." He waited for a response, but all he heard was slow, steady breathing. He leaned over, planted a soft kiss in Timmy’s damp curls, and closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So CRISPR technology is a real thing--replacing small sections of DNA to correct problems. Rather than linking to a bunch of articles here, just Google it--it is fascinating. And as mentioned in Chapter 4, the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to two women who have been at the forefront of developing CRISPR. It is being used for a number of reasons, but generally NOT for reproductive issues--that gets into questions of biomedical ethics, "designer babies," etc. There is also no current technology that would allow for the wholesale replacement of an entire chromosome within an egg. But this is fiction, and we can have the science do whatever we want!


	9. The Oscars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An eventful Oscar night turns into a life-changing event.

March 2025

It was the morning of the Oscars, and Timmy stood in the middle of their large walk-in closet, distracted by his thoughts. He wasn’t sure how he _should_ be feeling, but it probably wasn’t the complicated mix of frustration and excitement that coursed through him. He was a Best-Actor Nominee again, but the inherent injustice and politics of it, so obvious to him since Armie’s lack of a nomination for Call Me By Your Name, made him seethe. So while he knew that was how the game was played, it was also why he had no idea what to expect tonight. He’d been nominated for the Bob Dylan biopic Going Electric, which _finally_ got made after fucking covid derailed it for literally years. He thought maybe he’d win this year, after coming up empty-handed on Call Me By Your Name and Dune, because the Academy seemed to award actors who played real people. If he won, he’d be the youngest best-actor winner ever, beating Adrien Brody by a few months, and it might seem petty, but he really wanted that title. He wasn’t sure the voters would see that as a positive though...they seemed really biased toward older actors. Couple all of that with the fact that he and Armie weren’t out, and he’d be attending with his mom? Yeah...his feelings were complicated.

He stood in their closet, looking at his and Armie’s suits hanging there. He had personally picked both of them--classic, old-school movie-star Brioni for Armie, and edgier Haider for himself--reflecting their public personalities. Timmy visualized the looks in his mind and nodded to himself. _Thank god Armie fired Ilaria_ , Timmy thought, as his mind contrasted this look with the terrible things she used to pick. She’d had a way of making Armie look, in Timmy’s opinion, more like a dad in his 50’s than his hot, 30-something husband. Over the past few years, Armie had even ended up on a couple of best-dressed lists, magazines making references to Armie finally learning from his fashionable former co-star. _If they only knew_ , thought Timmy with a grin--but his next thought, “ _that’s the problem, though...nobody knows,”_ caused his grin to fade.

Timmy longed for the simple things that most couples took for granted. He wanted to hold hands while they walked down the street, take the kids to the park as a family, or even just run errands together. Armie was on the same page, but whenever they brought it up, their teams insisted the continued secrecy was best for both of their careers. Timmy knew that was probably true, but it was demoralizing and made his heart ache. He truly believed the love he and Armie shared transcended the boundaries of this world, and to try to constrain it--to try to make it fit into whatever small-minded norms existed in Hollywood--was just wrong. 

But secrecy was their reality--and not even just “not a couple”...the dictate from their teams was really more “don’t ever interact in public.” Timmy knew their teams were right though--the chemistry between them was overwhelming and undeniable--he had seen the videos of their interactions himself, and there was no other explanation for the combination of love, lust, and tenderness that swirled between them. Timmy rolled his eyes at the irony--here he was, on his third Best-Actor nomination, and nobody thought he and Armie were good enough actors to convince people they were just friends. So after getting ready together, they would get into separate cars, arrive at different times, and Timmy would walk the red carpet and spend the evening with his mom. Again. Instead of with Armie, who was his actual husband, for fuck’s sake. 

Timmy pushed those thoughts out of his head, and instead focused on how much he was looking forward to seeing Armie in the suit he’d picked for him--trim black pants, crisp white shirt, and a gorgeous brocade jacket in a deep navy with black lapels. It was tailored to absolute perfection to show Armie’s broad shoulders, trim waist, and long, long legs, and Timmy couldn’t wait to see the suit on. After a minute focused on a well-dressed Armie, Timmy’s thoughts wandered to _after_ the Oscars, and bits and pieces of this same suit dropped haphazardly on the floor between the door and however far they made it into the house. A little surge of anticipation ran through his body, and he realized he was equally looking forward to seeing the suit _off._

His eyes drifted over to his own suit, fitted and black with floral navy embroidery along the lapels and bottom of the coat. It was a perfect complement to Armie’s suit, without being overly obvious, and Timmy liked to think of it as a little tease for anyone paying attention. He’d actually started picking complementary outfits as soon as Armie fired Ilaria, but nobody, not even their teams, noticed. It made for some nice photos though, which they always took before leaving the house as a memory, since they never got a photo together at the events themselves.

He heard Armie come into the bedroom, “Timmy--, babe...where are you?”

“In here.”

Armie stepped into the closet, and Timmy felt him stop directly behind him. He wrapped his arms around Timmy and nestled into his curls, planting a gentle kiss right above his ear. Timmy heard a deep inhale, and then, “Are you okay? You seem nervous.” Timmy turned his head toward Armie, seeking out a soft kiss. “I’m better now that you’re here,” he smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. 

“Timmy”

“Hmmm”

“What’s going on?”

“Oh, Armie,” Timmy sighed, “our suits look so nice together.”

“Um hmm.”

“It’s just, they’re meant to be together, and it is such a shame nobody will see that and make the connection.” 

“Like us you mean?”

Timmy knew Armie was right..this wasn’t about the suits.

At Timmy’s silence, Armie continued, “Do you want to go together? You know I’m ready to tell them all to just fuck it. Your mom would totally understand.”

“Armie,” Timmy let out a deep sigh and turned to face his husband. He ran his hand up the side of Armie’s neck and caressed his cheek, looking into his eyes. “We can’t. You _know_ that...we’ve talked about it. These things have to be planned.” Timmy leaned his head against Armie’s chest, and gratefully accepted Armie’s comforting embrace.

 _The thing was though, they_ had _talked about coming out at the Oscars_ , Timmy thought. They had even joked with their teams about it a couple of weeks before, just to test the waters. The resulting stern words and eye-twitching was almost comical, but he and Armie didn’t think it was a bad plan. Because, really...why not? Their teams thought otherwise, and claimed they would need more time than was left before the Oscars to get a plan together. 

After a minute Timmy stepped back, “Armie, I distracted you. I’m assuming you came in here for a reason?”

“Well hell,” Armie shook his head, “see what you do to me? I just wanted to make sure you were paying attention to the time. I figure we probably need to start getting ready soon. But then I got so distracted by your…,” Armie’s eyes drifted down, lingering for a moment, before making the trip back up to land on Timmy’s plush, pink lips.

Timmy raised an eyebrow and his mouth twisted into a playful smirk, “By my…, what? My just standing here?”

“Mmmh hmmm,” Armie bit his bottom lip and raised his eyes to meet Timmy’s.

Timmy raised himself on tiptoes, careful to keep a slight distance between their bodies, and pressed their lips together in a soft, chaste kiss. “But we need to get ready,” he objected quietly, “that’s why you came to find me.”

Armie wrapped his arms back around Timmy, one hand landing on his ass and giving it a quick squeeze. Timmy gasped, and Armie pulled his hips forward, pressing them tightly against his own. He brushed Timmy’s ear with his lips and replied in a rough whisper, “I said soon...not necessarily right now.” It was only a moment before Timmy reached up and gripped both sides of Armie’s face, pulling him down into a hot and sloppy kiss. He could feel Armie's cock growing against his own as their tongues tangled together and the kiss deepened. 

Timmy rolled his hips up, his own cock now throbbing.The need created by the friction radiated out into his body. “Oh, god...yes,” Timmy groaned, throwing his head back and exposing his long, pale neck. Armie immediately latched onto it and started sucking. “Fuck, ...Armie, don’t mark me,” Timmy panted, “I can’t show up to the Oscars with a hickey and beard burn!” Armie immediately pulled back with a laugh before crashing their mouths back together instead. He walked Timmy backward to a section of wall, and pressed into him, grinding their cocks together again and again. Timmy whimpered as he felt the hint of an orgasm and marvelled at how he was still fully clothed. _Clothes! Fuck!_ , thought Timmy. “Armie, not here...the suits!” Armie stopped grinding, slid both hands to Timmy’s ass, hoisted him up and shuffled over to a dresser on the opposite side of the closet. Timmy wrapped his legs around Armie’s waist and buried his head against Armie’s neck, mouthing right where he could feel Armie’s racing pulse under his lips. 

Armie set Timmy down on top of the dresser, quickly stripping off his shirt and pulling at the waistband of his sweats until his cock sprang free, pale pink against the alabaster skin of his stomach. Armie leaned forward into a kiss, and Timmy squirmed, his body pleading for Armie's touch. Armie reached down to cup Timmy's balls before tracing a finger up his length, dipping it into his slit before palming the head and spreading the glistening precome down his shaft. Armie began slowly stroking Timmy, swirling his palm around the head on each upstroke. 

The slow strokes were driving Timmy crazy, and his breathing became erratic. With a low moan he tried rocking his hips up into Armie's fist, but Armie used his other hand to hold Timmy in place. "Please," Timmy begged, "more." Armie tightened his grip and increased his speed. "Oh god! Yes!" He gasped at the intensity as Armie leaned in and teased one of Timmy's nipples with his tongue. A shiver coursed through Timmy's body and he felt his muscles begin to tighten. He pulled Armie back into a kiss and shuddered, come shooting into Armie's hand and across his own stomach. 

Not breaking the kiss, Timmy slid forward and off the dresser. He slid his hands into the back of Armie's pants, kneading his ass before pushing the pants down to Armie's knees. Timmy pulled back from the kiss with a breathy moan and looked down as he dragged his hand across his stomach, slicking it with come. He looked back up at Armie, saw that he had been watching, and brought his hand to Armie's mouth for a taste. Armie groaned and, after a quick lick, grabbed Timmy's hand and pulled it down to his aching cock. Timmy wrapped his hand around Armie, his long, elegant fingers barely meeting around the thickness, and started sliding his hand up and down in a steady rhythm, twisting his wrist a little bit on every other upstroke. 

Armie dropped his head next to Timmy's and Timmy could hear his breath hitch a little with every twist of the wrist. A few minutes later, Timmy heard a desperate-sounding "Oh, fu-uck," and sped his strokes. He turned his head and breathed out heavily, running his tongue along the curve of Armie's ear and sucking on his earlobe. He felt Armie start to stiffen and stopped sucking, instead barely enunciating a whispered "come for me," before he felt Armie's cock twitch and come poured through his fingers. Timmy leaned back against the dresser, trying to catch his breath as Armie leaned against him. 

_This_ , Timmy thought, _this is exactly why we can't be just friends in public._

\---

It had taken a valiant effort to actually get ready instead of getting distracted again, this time by a naked Armie in a hot, steamy shower, but Timmy had powered through and ended up ready with plenty of time to catch his limo and go pick up his mom. Everything went according to plan as he walked the red carpet, charmed reporters, and posed for pictures. At one point he’d even seen Armie at the other end of the carpet, looking sooo hot, but his mom gave him a quick nudge toward the door before his stare gave them away.

As a nominee, Timmy was sitting up front, mom at his side, just as he had done in 2018, and again in 2022, while Armie was sitting behind and to the side. Timmy was having to work at not turning around to look at Armie--their teams had warned them both to “rein it in,” for whatever _that_ was worth. Timmy knew it was better this way though, because every time he did look, well, he wanted to be able to stand up later and not be worried about what people might see. But, fuck if it wasn’t just _wrong_ that he was sitting here with his mom instead of Armie. 

Timmy thought about their closet talk before they had gotten distracted, and laughed at the irony of talking about _being_ in the closet, while they were actually standing in a fucking closet! Humor aside though, Armie had been moving toward directing more and more, and an Oscar win could help Timmy’s career weather any fallout--and it wasn’t like Timmy was a rom-com star. And if Hollywood cared? Well, as Armie said, fuck ‘em. Timmy hadn’t been sure...until this very moment. As the show got close to the Best Actor announcement, Timmy made a decision. He quickly texted Armie.

TC: The next time we’re here I want to be sitting next to you. 

AH: Do it!

Timmy barely had a chance to read Armie’s response when they started announcing the nominations for Best Actor. As he turned toward the screen he caught Armie’s eye, and saw him nod, almost imperceptibly. 

"And the winner is...Timothée Chalamet, for Going Electric!”

Timmy heard Armie’s “Yeah!” through the general cheers and applause and saw him beaming as he looked over. He made his way to the podium in a kind of haze, while the announcer talked about his being the youngest Best Actor winner ever. He looked at the crowd and began thanking all the usual people--his parents and sister, his director, his co-stars, and his agent. He even said a special thanks to Bob Dylan for leading such an interesting life and being such an inspiration for him in the role. He looked down and saw his hands shaking a little...it was time. He took a deep breath and continued.

“I know I’m out of time and you’ll start playing music any second, but I have one more person to thank. Any of you who follow the Oscars know that not thanking your significant other has a high correlation to the relationship ending, and well... I refuse to tempt fate like that.”

Timmy looked up and felt a hush settle over the crowd. With all eyes on him, he found Armie, and spoke only to him.

“Armie...You are my everything, and I am so proud and grateful that you are my husband. I love you with all that I have ever been, all that I am, and all that I ever will be--and I thank the luck of the universe every day for bringing us together. Thank you for supporting me and standing by my side--yesterday in silence, but today in the light.”

Timmy took a deep breath, his hands still shaking, and looked around at the silent, stunned faces. Suddenly he became painfully aware that the orchestra had never started playing, and he was here, alone, in front of everybody. He looked out and saw Armie literally climbing over seats on his way to the stage as members of the audience jumped to their feet, breaking out into raucous cheers and applause. After what felt like forever, Timmy found himself swept up in an embrace and on the receiving end of a kiss that rivaled their famous “kiss of a lifetime.” The music finally started playing and they eventually pulled apart, and out of the corner of his eye Timmy saw his mom cheering. With a giant smile Timmy grabbed Armie’s hand in his, and lifted both of his own hands above his head, one with the Oscar, the other with Armie’s hand. He had no doubt which was the bigger victory.

They walked offstage to continued cheers, Armie’s hand on his lower back feeling strange, but at the same time so right. Timmy knew he was supposed to walk the line of interviewers on the winner's carpet, but he wasn’t ready for that yet. He pulled Armie to the side, suddenly nervous about what he’d done. Armie smiled, “I can’t believe you just did that!”

Timmy panicked, had he misunderstood? “But I texted you! You-, you said it was ok!”

“Babe," Armie smiled down at Timmy and gripped his chin, lifting Timmy’s eyes to meet his own and running his thumb over Timmy’s lips. "It _is_ ok. It’s actually great. It has been actual fucking _years_ , and we don’t have to hide anymore!" He looked at Timmy, and saw the fear on his face. "Wait, are you worried?”

“Of course I’m worried!" Timmy's voice rose, reflecting the anxiety that was growing in his chest. "What do we do now? Should we just go home?"

Armie pulled Timmy into his arms and rubbed his hand up and down his back, trying to soothe Timmy's worry. “Babe, everything's going to be ok. Shhh...just breathe." When he felt Timmy's body start to relax, he continued, "Tell me this...did you just spectacularly out us during the Oscars in order to continue hiding?”

Timmy paused. Armie was right. The world knew about them now, and they couldn’t hide, even if they wanted to. He shook his head, “No, let’s do this. Do you want to walk the winner’s carpet with me?”

“Do you need me to?”

Timmy thought for a minute before answering...he'd love to have Armie beside him, but he didn't think it was the right thing to do. “I don’t think so, no. My plan is to just focus on the movie and deflect the more personal questions. I think I’ll get fewer of those if I’m on my own than if we’re together.”

“I think you’re right...I’ll go see if your mom can move into my old seat so we can finish up the show together--why wait for next year?”

After a quick kiss and a "you can do this," they went their separate directions. When he eventually made his way back to the audience, Timmy found Armie in the seat vacated by his mom. Armie leaned over and whispered, “Your mom had already moved, I didn’t even have to ask.” Timmy whispered back, “Well, you _are_ her favorite son-in-law.” Armie paused for a minute, feeling honored, until he remembered he was her _only_ son-in-law. He raised an eyebrow at Timmy, who just grinned and reached down to tangle their fingers together on Armie’s thigh.

\---

The next weekend they dropped by the grocery store on their way to the beach with the kids. As they waited in line to check out with their picnic selections, Timmy noticed how easy this seemed--being out in public and living their lives, and the simple fact that he could now stand by his husband's side. He smiled and stretched his fingers out, brushing the back of Armie's hand. Armie immediately turned his head with a questioning look, followed by a wide smile as Timmy slid their hands together with a little squeeze.

"Daddy! Papa! Look!" Timmy looked over to see Ford pointing at a magazine cover. It looked like one of the tabloids had dug up pictures of them from past events. Presenting their complementary outfits side by side, the headline read "The Secret Clues Nobody Caught." _No need for clues anymore,_ thought Timmy with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that thing about not thanking your significant other at the Oscars being correlated to the breakup of the relationship? That's actually a real thing that's been studied. I read about it once and it kind of stuck with me. If you're interested, there's an article [ here](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/how-oscar-thank-yous-impact-867390)


	10. The Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timmy hears from Jennifer about a research breakthrough, sending his thoughts swirling about their maybe-not-so impossible children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads-up that this chapter is all plot and no smut! Sorry. We'll be back to the regularly interspersed smut next week...I promise!

August 2029 - London

Timmy was thankful to be back in the apartment after a long day of filming. The experience had been amazing so far, but the reshoots were taking more time than he would have liked, and he just _had_ to get back to LA by the 28th. He hadn’t missed Armie’s birthday since before they were married, and he certainly wasn’t going to start now. He was starting to get worried, but the director swore they’d be finished in time for Timmy to fly home as planned. He opened his bag of fish and chips and started munching, opening his phone and scrolling through messages.

Timmy stopped at a short text from Harper, the only words being "call me." He quickly wiped his hands and opened facetime, hitting dial while he was still chewing. She answered on the second ring, “Hi, Papa!”

Timmy swallowed and looked at his daughter. She seemed okay, but… “Hops, sweetie, is everything alright?” 

She smiled, “Of course Papa, why do you ask?” 

Timmy raised his eyebrows and shook his head, “You texted me to call you. That’s unusual for you. We usually just talk when I call home. What’s going on?”

“Oh yeah!” she replied with a smile. “I texted you so I wouldn’t forget to tell you.”

Timmy waited a moment, and when no additional information was shared he took a deep breath. _Patience_ , he reminded himself. He had been a teenager himself once upon a time. “Tell me what, exactly?”

“Yeah, do you remember our old neighbors? Cassie and Jake?” 

Timmy remembered...vaguely. “Kind of...you and Ford were excited when they moved in, because they were your new best friends, right?” 

“That’s them. Cassie DM’d me. Her mom's trying to get in touch with you. I’ll text you her info.” 

“Thanks. I have time if you want to talk about other stuff, otherwise we can just talk later.”

“Nope, I’m good.”

“Alright then. Talk to you soon. Love you.”

“Love you too, Papa. Bye!”

Timmy searched his memory, and hit on a visual of four kids chased by two husbands running into the kitchen for ice cream. His eyes widened with recognition. Jennifer. The researcher who worked with CRISPR and was trying to find grant funding to look into whether an entire chromosome could be replaced, rather than just a smaller chunk of the DNA. The one who made it sound like someday, maybe, the technology could be used to help couples who couldn't produce a viable egg on their own. It had been what-, like, five years? They’d only gotten together a handful of times before Jennifer and her family had moved across the country so she could take a tenure-track position and have the opportunity for her own lab to pursue CRISPR possibilities in treating reproductive issues. They were a nice couple, Timmy remembered. He chastised himself a little for not staying in touch.

His phone buzzed with the notification of Harper’s new text. Timmy opened the link he found there and saw Jennifer, older of course, but absolutely recognizable, She was listed as the Director of Research for Genetic Editing and Reproductive Technology. Timmy’s heart sped up a little, remembering what he had asked her so long ago. A gossamer string of hope pulled at his heart as he dialed her number. 

When the call was answered, he asked for Jennifer, and was informed (rather rudely, in his opinion,) that _Doctor Robinson_ was in a meeting and that if he left his information they would see she got his message. He gave his name and number, and explained that he was trying to reach her at her request, but didn’t hold out a lot of hope that the message would actually be delivered, given the brusque response he received. He had just opened the link again to see whether there might be an email address when his phone rang from a number with the same area code he’d just called. He quickly accepted the call and said hello.

"Timmy?"

“Hi, yes...it’s me. Jennifer? Or should I say ‘ _Doctor Robinson_ ’?”

Jennifer laughed, “Oh, I see you had a run in with Linda--she’s something else, isn’t she? Listen, thanks for calling me. I’m so glad Cassie was able to find Harper...I tried to get in touch with you directly, but wasn’t making any headway. It seems like you have a few Lindas of your own!” Timmy laughed...she had a point. 

They settled into the easy conversation Timmy remembered, catching up on their families and lives. Timmy was curious, surely this wasn’t the purpose of the call, but he didn’t want to push.

Finally, as the niceties wound down, Jennifer took a deep breath and started in, “Hey,...do you remember the conversation we had in the kitchen that first night you guys had us over? About replacing whole chromosomes in egg cells?”

Timmy’s heart started pounding. “I remember.”

“Well, we’ve made a breakthough, and aside from the people here, you’re the first person I wanted to tell, especially since it was _your_ question that really spurred me on to pursue this particular line of research.” Timmy waited as she took a breath, then continued, “We’ve had success replacing an entire chromosome in an egg.”

“That’s fantastic Jennifer, congratulations!”

“Timmy, there’s more.” Jennifer paused, and her voice softened, “It doesn’t appear to matter whether the chromosome is from a male or female, as long as it is an X chromosome.”

“What?” Timmy could hardly breathe, “What are you saying?”

“Timmy. I’m saying this should make it possible for you and Armie to have a biological child together, if you want. It might take a couple of years to perfect the technique, but we’re starting to plan for when this is ready, and putting together a list of couples we could work with in the next phase of the research.”

Timmy couldn’t even think--every fiber of his being screamed yes, but it had been so long since he and Armie had even talked about kids he knew he couldn’t commit without making sure Armie felt the same. He thought about Harper and Ford, and the family life they’d all built together, and wondered whether there was room for more. 

“Jennifer. My god, that’s incredible, and thank you so much for thinking of us. My first thought is absolutely yes, but Armie and I haven’t talked about kids in a while. Can I have a little time to talk to him, just to make sure?”

Jennifer laughed, “Timmy, you _have_ to take the time to talk to Armie! You can’t commit to this without his agreement! I mean, you’ll need him to participate!” Timmy listened to her laugh and it helped settle his nervousness, just a bit. She continued, “But seriously, when do you think you could let me know? I’d like to have a list of couples narrowed down in the next couple of months.”

“That’s plenty of time,” Timmy breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m on location now, but I’m heading home next week for Armie’s birthday. I’d like to have this conversation in person, so if I could give you an answer in like, 2 weeks? Would that work?”

“That sounds perfect. Hey, when you get it figured out, just reach out. This is my direct number--be sure to use it so you don’t have to deal with Linda again. And do you mind sending me the best email address for you? That way I can send you more information to go through with Armie next week.”

After a little more friendly chatting they ended the call. Timmy stared at the forgotten fish and chips, now cold and rubbery, and was glad he wasn’t hungry anymore. Incomplete thoughts swirled in his head while his hands seemed to work of their own accord. The next thing he knew, he had the almost-forgotten face app pictures open and was staring at their impossible children. It had been years since he’d opened the file, probably since shortly after he had won his Oscar, when the thought of his and Armie’s relationship being public knowledge seemed like one more piece in the puzzle that needed to be complete in order to make expanding their family a reality. He took in the images, stroking his finger along the glass--chuckling at himself when he caught himself thinking about how they hadn’t aged a day--their impossible children, waiting for real life to catch up to them.

His phone rang with an incoming facetime from Armie. _Shit!_ Timmy realized he had missed their nightly call time, and Armie was probably worried. Armie had always said Timmy wore his emotions out in the open, and Timmy knew it was true. He couldn’t talk to Armie right now--he wasn’t ready to have this conversation, and knew once he saw Armie, he’d have trouble holding back. He felt the safest path was avoidance, at least for tonight, until he got his own heart and mind sorted out. He texted back.

TC: Sorry, lost track of time. Was brushing my teeth, getting ready for bed.

AH: You ok?

TC: Just tired, reshoots ran long and hard. Kind of have a headache too. 

The phone rang again, and Timmy knew he had to answer. He opened the call to see concern on his husband’s face. He saw Armie searching his face and quickly looked away, nervous that he would break down and start talking about Jennifer’s call--but that was a conversation he _really_ wanted to have in person.

“Timmy...babe, you ok?”

“You didn’t have to call. I’m just not feeling very well.”

“It’s not like you to miss our call, especially not when you’re not still on set. What’s going on?”

“Just tired I guess.”

“You don’t look so good...Have you had anything to eat? Are you staying hydrated?” 

Timmy flicked his eyes up and was immediately drawn to Armie’s eyes and chin...some of the same features he had just seen in the pictures of their impossible children--it was too much. He quickly looked away. “I brought some fish and chips home, but I only ate a few bites before starting to feel off.” _At least that part’s true_ , Timmy thought.

“Do you have some Tylenol or something?” Seeing Timmy nod, Armie continued, “Ok, take a couple of those, drink some water, and go to bed.”

Timmy made eye contact but quickly looked away again. He mumbled a quiet, “Ok.”

“If you are still feeling bad in the morning, you should talk to the nurse or medic on set. What do you have there?”

“Nurse, I think.”

“Okay, if you aren’t feeling better in the morning, promise me you’ll talk to the nurse. And we can just catch up tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry I’m not up for conversation tonight.” Timmy made eye contact. “I miss you” he said, wistfully.

“Babe...I miss you too. You’ll be home next week though. Get some rest, okay? I love you.”

“I love you too.”

In reality, it was too early for bed, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway. The walls of the apartment made him feel boxed in, so he grabbed his coat, walked out on the balcony, and looked over the edge at the park across the street. He saw a family leaving the park, a couple of older kids and one little enough to be in a stroller. _That could be us_ , he thought, and tears welled in his eyes. The call with Jennifer seemed like a seismic shift. Up until an hour ago the thought of having kids with Armie had been abstract, something he could wish for, but that wasn’t real. _This_ didn’t feel real. He pinched himself hard, and it hurt, so he knew he wasn’t dreaming. Still, he checked his call logs, and saw the call to Jennifer’s office, and her return call. _This is real_ , Timmy thought, _how can this be real?_

His thoughts and feelings were all over the place, and he wished desperately that Armie was here with him, so they could talk now. As it was, he and Armie hadn’t really talked about adding to their family since that night they’d had Jennifer and her family over. Would Armie still be interested? They were so much older now. Armie would be 43 in just a few weeks, to Timmy’s 33, and if it took a few years? They’d be in their 60’s by the time any baby they had would be out of the house...well, Armie would be for sure. And Hops and Fordy...would they be ok with it? Would they think they weren’t enough? The possibility of them feeling “less than” pierced his heart. And what about their careers?...it was sometimes a struggle even now, and the kids were pretty self-sufficient... 

The worries weighed on Timmy and were at the front of his mind when he heard a child’s laugh. He looked up and saw that the family across the street had taken their youngest out of the stroller and the dad was now chasing him, scooping him up in his arms and spinning him around. The infectious giggles, coupled with the pure joy of what he was seeing, pushed back against his worries and the hope that had always been in his heart pushed forward in his mind. He thought about lullabies and first steps, blowing raspberries on a soft baby belly, and seeing their baby sleeping on Armie’s chest. He thought of _raising_ a child, going to the zoo, teaching them to read, and, more importantly, showing them that love is love is love, and that they can _be_ and _love_ whomever they want. 

The honk of a car brought Timmy back to the present, and he realized it had gotten dark. He headed back inside, stomach growling, and scrounged in the kitchen for something to eat. He settled on a bowl of cereal and opened his email as he ate. Jennifer had sent an entire zip file of information for them to review. He knew he was in no shape to read anything now, and downloaded the file to read later--he’d have time on the plane if he didn’t get to it before then. 

As he crawled into bed, Timmy thought again of the enormity of the decision before them. At least now it was their choice though...the barriers that were originally in the way had been cleared. They were married and had a home, he’d grown into a full-blown third parent to Harper and Ford--and although coming out likely had impacted their careers, it wasn’t in any way that seemed noticeable, or that either of them regretted. And now the last piece was clicking into place...now they knew the _how_. Timmy was overwhelmed by how much he wanted this, and hoped with his whole heart that Armie would feel the same. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder that, although CRISPR is really cool and a lot of research is happening with it, replacing an entire chromosome in an egg cell is not possible. And if it were, the biomedical ethics could be very questionable, along the lines of designer babies and stuff. But it sure is fun to suspend reality and dream of possibilities!


	11. The Discussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timmy returns to LA for Armie's birthday and they reconnect emotionally and physically before discussing whether to add to their family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the last chapter was all plot, and this one is...not. Yes, there is plot, but it is sandwiched in-between the smuttiest smut I've ever written (but this is my first fic in any fandom, so even though that statement is true, it may not be that bad--or good, depending on your viewpoint!) I'll also warn you that this chapter is more than double the length of any of the other chapters, so settle in. As always, I had a lot of fun writing this one, and I hope you have fun reading!

Late August 2029 - Los Angeles

Timmy had flown back to LA just in time for Armie's birthday, somewhat surprised but very thankful the reshoots finished up as the director predicted. The first leg of the trip went well, and he was able to carefully read through the information Jennifer sent before trying to get a little rest--but they'd been late getting into Atlanta and he'd had to run for his connecting flight, and then the flight to LA hit a storm over the Midwest and the Rockies, so he couldn't even try to sleep. He hated flying as a general rule, but today had been next-level bad. Timmy couldn't wait to get home. Home meant Armie, and he was desperate to see his husband. Things between them had been awkward since that night he had talked to Jennifer, and Timmy looked forward to reconnecting both emotionally and physically. 

He stared at the carousel, watching for his bag, and Timmy let his mind drift to the bombshell he was about to drop on Armie. The possibility for a child that was part him and part Armie had finally soaked into his consciousness and become real. He had never wanted anything more, except perhaps to be able to have a life with Armie--but now that they were together, he’d never wanted anything as much since. He hoped with his whole heart that Armie would feel the same. Timmy thought about what a good dad Armie already was, and knew any child of theirs would be so, so lucky, but...what if Armie didn’t want another? What if he was ready to just be done and move on to the next part of their lives? As it was, the kids were getting older, and Armie had occasionally made comments about what they could do once the kids were old enough to be out of the house. _Sex,_ Timmy heard Armie’s voice, _lots and lots of sex--in the kitchen, in the backyard, on the couch--whenever and wherever we want, without any worry of someone walking in on us._ Timmy dropped his head and squinted his eyes shut to keep from laughing, but there was still a nagging worry in the back of his mind. When he finally opened his eyes and looked up, his bag was dropping into the line of luggage to be claimed. 

He stepped forward and grabbed his bag, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and headed out to the passenger pick-up area. He'd always thought it would just be easier to grab a cab or an Uber, but Armie preferred picking him up, or having a friend pick him up, so that random drivers didn't know where they lived. It made a lot of sense, honestly, but it could be hard to coordinate. He opened his phone to text Armie, but heard a quick honk and saw him pull up. Timmy threw his bag and backpack in the backseat and climbed in the front.

"Hey, babe," Armie said, his voice a deep rumble. A broad smile broke out on his face, deepening the little smile lines around his eyes, "Glad you're home. I missed you."

"Oh god, it's good to see you," Timmy said, feeling his mood lift. A warm, happy feeling washed over him and the awful travel day melted away. He covered Armie's hand on the gearshift with his own and leaned in for a kiss. _Hmm...not having random drivers know where we live isn't the only reason not to take an Uber_ , Timmy thought to himself _._ Coming back together after being apart always felt like peace, and completeness, and love, and just _home_...and this kiss danced around all that. But he had been gone about two weeks and the passage of time and pressures of life had never dulled the way Armie made him thrum with desire, so need and want tried to push their way into the kiss as well.

Timmy had run his hand up to Armie's neck, and felt the kiss tipping off the ledge between sweet and hot when they were startled by a loud rap of knuckles on the hood. They broke apart to see a police officer making a motion for them to move along. Timmy chuckled and fastened his seatbelt while Armie waved to the officer, put the SUV in drive, and started to head home. 

By the time they merged onto the highway, the comfort Timmy found in the kiss had all but evaporated and worry crept in, wondering when he would be able to talk to Armie about Jennifer’s call. _Not now_ , he thought, _not while he’s driving, and I’m too...stressed? Tired? Not tomorrow--not with the birthday barbeque. Can we find a time to talk without the kids around...what’s going on with them?_ He was still trying to figure it out when they pulled in the driveway, and Timmy realized he hadn’t said anything on the way home, lost in his own thoughts. He grabbed his bag and backpack and followed Armie into the house, immediately noticing the silence. It was Saturday, about noon, and he was surprised the kids hadn’t greeted them. He turned to Armie with a questioning look. 

“Tyler picked up the kids about an hour ago.” Armie explained, “They’re all going to the beach and planning to stay late, so he invited them to sleep over--you know how much fun the kids all have when they get together. He’s going to just bring them back for the barbeque tomorrow.” Armie paused, then continued, choosing his words carefully, "We have the house to ourselves tonight. It seems like you've been a little off for the last week, so I thought you could use a soft landing--just some time to adjust without any demands on you. I'm marinating some chicken and chilling some wine--I’m not going to press you now, but once you've rested we're going to have a nice dinner and talk about whatever's going on." 

Timmy nodded his understanding, realizing that Armie had figured him out. He wanted to say something, but the words caught in his throat. He was touched by how Armie could read him so well and give him what he didn’t even know he needed. Timmy relaxed with the knowledge that they could talk tonight over dinner. 

Armie stepped back, running a hand down Timmy’s arm and grabbing Timmy’s hand in his own. “Let’s get you to bed,” Armie said as he started leading Timmy toward the bedroom.

Timmy thought _that_ was a fine plan indeed. Between the kiss at the airport and the fact that the kids weren’t home, he was eagerly looking forward to reconnecting physically. He happily followed Armie back to the bedroom, but once they got there Armie started turning down the bed. Timmy realized that when Armie said “get you to bed,” he meant for Timmy to actually sleep! Timmy had other plans though, so when Armie gently brushed Timmy’s lips with his own before turning to leaveTimmy reached out and grabbed his wrist, holding him back. 

“Don’t go.” 

Armie looked at him, confused, so Timmy continued, “If you leave now I won’t sleep, I’ll just lie there thinking about you in the other room.” He rubbed his hand up Armie’s chest and around to the back of his neck and pulled him into a hot, wet kiss, licking his way into Armie’s mouth. Armie kissed back, matching Timmy’s intensity and upping the ante with a soft moan. Amie spoke into the kiss, “ungh,” _kiss_ , “I missed you.” 

“Mmmh,” _kiss,_ “yeah,” _lick,_ “you mentioned that in the car,” came Timmy’s reply, voice low and lusty. Timmy thought he’d convinced Armie to stay, so he ran his hand up into Armie’s hair, only to feel Armie taking a step back. Timmy looked up, confused.

“Before this goes any further, I need to know if you’re just using sex to distract me from whatever is going on.” He stared into Timmy’s eyes, trying to suss out the truth.

Timmy stared right back, nothing to hide. “No, nothing like that. We can absolutely talk over dinner, but I don't want to waste the opportunity of the kids being with Tyler.” His voice lowered a little, “Besides, I have been gone two _very_ long weeks, and every inch of me has missed _every_ inch of you.” 

Timmy stepped forward to close the distance between them but didn't reach out. The fact that Armie had asked that question made Timmy think it was best to let him make the next move. They stood there, not moving, close enough to feel each other's warm breath on their faces, yet not touching. After a minute Armie spoke, his voice deep and full of promise, "Any particular inches you especially missed?”

Timmy cocked an eyebrow and smirked. “I can think of a few.”

“Mmm...which ones?”

Timmy pulled his own shirt up and over his head, closed the remaining distance between them, and quickly ran his hands up under Armie’s shirt, doing the same. He mouthed a wet kiss on the side of Armie’s neck before tipping his head up, lips to Armie’s ear, and whispered, “Take me to bed and find out.” 

The words had barely left Timmy’s lips before Armie scooped him up and carried him over to the bed, dropping him there before crawling after him. Timmy reached up, wrapped his arms around Armie, and rolled them over. He ended up on his knees, straddling Armie’s hips, exactly as he'd planned. He circled his hips once, grinding their cocks together and Armie raised an eyebrow in response, “Are those the inches you missed?”

“Some of them,” Timmy said with a cheeky grin, “but not all of them. Let me show you.” He leaned down until their lips were almost touching and paused. Armie lifted his head to meet Timmy's lips with his own, but Timmy shifted to the corner of his mouth and planted a quick kiss. "I missed this one." 

Timmy pulled back and waited until Armie lifted his head again, then leaned in for a quick kiss at the other corner of his mouth. "And I missed this one." He pulled back and smiled. 

Armie ran his hands up Timmy's thighs and around to his back, and Timmy's skin tingled as Armie kneaded his taut muscles. He was once again struck by the contrast between them, as Armie’s large hands spanned the entire width of his back, yet still allowed his thumbs to stroke Timmy's sides. 

Armie lifted his head once again--this time pulling Timmy down toward him, done with the games. Timmy licked up and over Armie's lips before covering Armie's mouth with his own. The kiss turned gently passionate, desire and want swirling languidly between them. Timmy rocked his hips as Armie ran his hands down Timmy's back and into his pants, his hands clutching Timmy's ass and pressing them even closer together. The friction was delicious, and twin moans exposed the need they were both feeling. 

Timmy pushed himself up just far enough to focus on Armie’s face, letting his eyes drift from feature to feature before stopping to linger on the blue pools before him. He was mesmerized, the blue called to him like the ocean, the sky...like the blue of forever and always, the promise of their life together, and the possibility of seeing that same blue in the eyes of their own child someday.

Timmy felt something shift within him...when they had initially made their way back to the bedroom, he’d had every intention of a hot, urgent romp, maybe even a little rough--but now,...now he wanted slow intimacy--making out and making love. Timmy wanted to show Armie that everything about him set his very soul afire. He felt one of Armie’s hands make its way up his back and into his hair, pulling him forward and pressing their lips together, and he knew that Armie had felt the shift as well. He longed for Armie's touch and how it could make him feel so many things--at times it made him feel beautiful...delicate and small, innocent and angelic--other times it made him feel hot, desired, and powerful --and now?...now it was making him feel wanted, needed, and _loved._

Continuing the kiss, Timmy cradled Armie’s head in his hands. He propped himself on one elbow and ran his other hand into Armie’s hair, then down the side of his face, caressing his cheek and gently dragging his thumb across Armie’s eyelid. Timmy pulled away from the kiss, and instead leaned in and pressed his cheek just below Armie’s temple. His lips brushed Armie’s ear with a whispered, “I love you.” He inhaled slowly, taking in the scent he knew so well. 

Timmy dragged his hand to Armie’s neck and squeezed gently, moving his lips to the top of Armie's neck right behind his ear--the spot he knew Armie couldn't resist. He pressed a kiss there, warm and wet, and heard Armie inhale deeply, breath hitching at the end. Armie rolled his hips up in response, and desire surged through Timmy’s body.

Timmy released his hand and trailed kisses down the side of Armie’s neck to the soft spot just above his clavicle, where he mouthed an aggressive kiss before suddenly shifting gears and sucking. He felt Armie’s back arch, and felt the soft, golden down of Armie’s chest against his own. “Mine,” he growled in a rough whisper against Armie’s neck. Armie’s hands left his ass and circled around to the front of his pants, cupping him over the fabric before fumbling around with the button and zipper that were doing their best to restrain him. With the extra give of an undone fly, Armie pushed his hand into Timmy’s pants, smearing precome into his palm before rubbing his hand up and down Timmy’s stiff cock. Timmy planted his palms on Armie’s chest and pushed himself up, his long fingers delicate and pale against his husband’s broad, muscular chest. He ran his hands over the tanned skin, feeling the hair brush between his fingers, then leaned down and nuzzled into the soft hair before laying his ear flat against Armie’s chest to hear the strong heartbeat within. Armie pulled his hand from Timmy’s cock and wound it around to Timmy’s lower back, using the other hand to rub between Timmy’s shoulders before pressing them together, skin against skin. 

Armie bent one of his legs, lifting his knee and pressing his thigh against Timmy’s ass. Timmy tilted his hips into the sensation, then turned his head and dragged his tongue across Armie’s nipple. Armie’s cock twitched against him, straining the fabric that still covered it, and Timmy sucked the nipple into his mouth, flicking his tongue and scraping his teeth against its hardness. He pinched the other nipple between his fingers, eliciting a thrust from Armie’s hips as a desperate moan fell from his lips. Timmy shifted up and hovered above Armie, lips almost touching. He looked down at the man he loved and confessed, “Thank god the universe put us in each other's path. I don't even want to know what kind of half-life I'd be living without you.” He dropped his head and pressed their lips together once again, the love and desire rippling off both of them in waves. 

They kissed without hurry, communicating all that was in their hearts with each move of the lips, each lick of the tongue. Hands explored skin as their mouths stayed anchored together. After a moment, _minute? hour?_ , Timmy felt Armie's hands drift back to his ass, caressing gently before trailing a hand up the cleft between his cheeks. Timmy felt his cock throb in response, and suddenly felt an urgent need to move things along. 

Timmy pulled back, voice hoarse and needy, “I need you naked. Now.” He sat back and made quick work of the button fly on Armie’s jeans, then crawled backward until he could get enough leverage to pull the jeans off. Armie raised his hips to assist and his hard cock caught in his underwear as Timmy pulled. A final pull released Armie’s cock, which slapped up against his stomach. The sight and sound were so arousing that Timmy groaned involuntarily and had to concentrate on not coming now, untouched. He tossed Armie’s jeans away and shimmied out of his own, his cock hot and hard against his belly. Timmy quickly crawled back up and laid atop Armie, pressing their unrestrained cocks together. They began rutting against each other, the heat and friction rushing both of them toward the edge. 

Timmy felt Armie's muscles tense and immediately pulled away, kneeling between Armie's legs. "Not yet, okay?," Timmy looked up at Armie and nodded, looking for agreement. Armie clenched his eyes shut and deliberately slowed his breathing until he felt he could go again, then opened his eyes, finding Timmy's gaze and nodding his assent.

From his position between Armie's legs, Timmy gazed at his husband in appreciation, dragging his eyes away from Armie's and sweeping them over Armie’s body. He leaned up and grabbed one of Armie's hands, bringing it up and kissing his palm. He sucked Armie's middle finger into his mouth and swirled his tongue around it before opening his mouth and taking a second finger in and sucking again. Timmy's eyes drifted closed in pleasure and Armie watched, the warm, wet sensation causing his mind to drift to having Timmy's plush, pink lips wrapped around his cock. He groaned in anticipation and Timmy opened his eyes, glancing up through his lashes. Timmy opened his mouth and Armie dragged his fingers down, pulling Timmy's bottom lip before trailing his wet fingers down Timmy's chin and pressing into the hollow at the bottom of his neck. 

"Armie"

"Hmmm"

"Can I suck you"

"Unngh...yes, please."

Timmy leaned down and started kissing Armie's stomach, his hard cock bumping up against Timmy's chin. He wrapped his fingers around Armie and pulled him to the side so he could kiss down the line of hair connecting Armie's navel and cock. He continued kissing around the base of Armie's cock and to the soft crease between Armie's groin and thigh--kissing, caressing, licking, then bent Armie's leg at the knee and pushed it outward, exposing all of Armie. Timmy licked the taint with his tongue flat before pressing into it with his thumb as he moved his mouth up and sucked at Armie's balls. He felt Armie's hips rising, begging for more, and heard indeterminate noises--quiet whimpers, gasps, and groans--as he continued up the other side, mirroring his previous ministrations.

After coming full circle, Timmy leaned down and nudged his nose against Armie's balls, then flattened his tongue and licked up the full length of Armie's cock. He planted a gentle kiss at the very top, licking across the slit and moaning with pleasure at the taste he knew so well. Timmy swirled his tongue around the tip, then wrapped his lips around Armie's thick cock and pushed his head down until the tip of Armie's cock bumped against the back of his throat. He bobbed his head up and down, reaching up to caress Armie's stomach before running his hands down over Armie’s muscular thighs and around to his ass. He pressed Armie up into his mouth as he took in all that he could. Armie started writhing beneath him, grabbing and twisting the sheets in his hands. Timmy pressed his face down as far as it would go, then swallowed against the tip of Armie's cock. He suddenly felt Armie’s hands in his hair, threading the chestnut curls between his fingers and holding his head in place as Armie thrust up into his mouth. Timmy glanced up and saw Armie throw his head back and heard him moan. 

“Fu-uck...Timmy...”

Timmy pulled his mouth off Armie's cock with a final swirl of his tongue. “That’s the plan,” he said with a smile, crawling up and pressing their lips together once again.

"What?," Armie asked, momentarily confused until he understood the exchange and started laughing. It was effective in pulling both of them back from the edge yet again, and Armie took the opportunity to roll them over, covering Timmy’s body with his own. He dragged his cock against Timmy's once, twice, three times, the wetness of Timmy's mouth providing comfort--for now. It wouldn't be enough for what was next though, so Armie reached into the nightstand to grab the bottle of lube. 

Timmy watched as Armie leaned back and ran his hands down to Timmy's legs and pushed his knees up and apart. Armie drizzled lube into his hand and rubbed it along Timmy's crease, dragging his fingers across his hole again and again. Timmy's breath hitched as Armie teased, and he clenched and relaxed, waiting for Armie to press inside. Armie paused to pour more lube into his hands, then returned to teasing for only a moment before slowly pressing his finger inside, finding and pressing against Timmy's prostate before pulling out and pressing two fingers in, gently preparing Timmy to take his cock. He looked down and realized that Timmy's cock, normally a beautiful pale pink even when hard, was now dark red and throbbing, precome pooled at the tip and trickling down the side. Armie pushed the heel of his hand against the base of Timmy's cock and ran it up to the tip, then swirled a finger through the precome, lifted it to his own lips, and sucked at the wetness. He watched Timmy watch him, the green of his kaleidoscope eyes a barely-visible ring around pupils blown with desire. "Now, Armie...now...please…," Timmy moaned desperately, throwing his arm over his eyes, the intensity threatening to overwhelm him. 

Armie pulled his fingers away and dragged Timmy toward him, pulling his hips up into his lap, Timmy’s legs on either side of Armie’s hips, while his upper back, shoulders and head stayed on the bed. "Look at me, my love," Armie's voice rumbled as he lined himself up. Timmy dropped his arm beside his head and opened his eyes, meeting Armie's gaze. Holding Timmy's hips in place, Armie gently pressed forward, pushing into Timmy's warmth. He felt Timmy relax and take his full length in one fluid movement until his balls were pressed against Timmy's skin, stretched tightly around Armie's cock. After a moment, Timmy began rocking his own hips up and down in Armie's lap. Armie responded with thrusts of his own, finding a steady rhythm. 

"Oh, god…, Armie," Timmy's voice sounded absolutely wrecked. He pressed his hand to his own stomach just under the tip of his leaking cock. "I can feel you under my hand," he said breathlessly, then bit his lip and moaned. Armie slid his hand under Timmy's and Timmy pressed it down until Armie felt it too...the skin of Timmy's stomach bumping up with each thrust of Armie's cock, deep inside him. It felt filthy, and Armie shuddered at the thought that he had _this_ , this wonderful life, this sexual adventure, this gorgeous, ethereal creature in his life and in his bed. He couldn't ask for more...except maybe Timmy in his arms. He looked down at his husband, appreciating the view of Timmy's smooth, pale chest laid out before him and watched as Timmy started rolling his head back and forth, his eyes closed and mouth open, the damp sheen of sweat rising on his brow. But as enticing as this was to look at, he needed more…he needed to _feel_ Timmy's warm skin, his mouth, his hands.

Armie took his hands from Timmy's hips and leaned in to slide them under Timmy, one between his shoulder blades, another at the back of his neck. Timmy responded in kind, wrapping his arms around Armie, one hand low, where Armie's back ended and his ass began, the other across his shoulders. Armie leaned back up and lifted Timmy up into his lap, pressing him close. The return to sensual rhythmic thrusting pushed Timmy's throbbing cock into the space where their abdomens pressed together, dry but for the light sweat rising on Armie's stomach. Timmy's eyes flew open and he hissed at the sensation. Armie reached down and stroked Timmy's cock, spreading the lube that remained on his hand, along with the wetness streaming from Timmy's cock itself, trying to turn the dry friction into something more comfortable for Timmy's already-overstimulated cock. Timmy hummed his thanks on the next thrust and began undulating his hips in sync with Armie's own movements. 

Armie felt Timmy starting to clench around him, and leaned forward, pressing their mouths together in a deep kiss. Timmy grabbed onto Armie's shoulders and threw his head back with a cry of "Arrmmiiee," as hot, thick come shot up onto both of their chests. Armie leaned in and kissed Timmy’s neck, all five of his senses overwhelmed--the taste of Timmy’s skin, the smell of him and their lovemaking, the sound of panting breaths and murmurs of love, the feel of Timmy's smooth skin under his hands and the warmth enveloping his cock, and the sheer visible beauty before him. Emotion overtook him and Armie gave a final thrust, crying out and pushing himself as far as he could possibly get inside Timmy. He came in waves, feeling the pulse again and again, before they both collapsed back on the bed. 

They laid there entwined in each other-- spent, hearts pounding, chests heaving.

"Mmm," Timmy murmured, "that was amazing... _you_ are amazing." Armie could only nod, the intensity of the moment robbing him of the ability to speak. He leaned in to kiss Timmy once more, gentle and soft, hoping Timmy would understand it for the undying declaration of love that it was.

After several more minutes of gentle kissing, Armie rolled onto his back. Timmy happily curled into his side and rested his head on Armie's shoulder. Their lovemaking had been so intense, so connected...Timmy wanted no secrets between them. He could hear the steady beat of Armies heart and knew he couldn't wait any longer _. To hell with finding the perfect time,_ he thought, _here, now, naked and dick-drunk...now's the time._ He propped himself up on an elbow and looked at Armie. "Do you still think about having a kid together?"

Armie blinked, confused. "Yes,...but, what made you think of that?"

"You know how you said something's been off?"

"Mmm hmmm. Wait,...Timmy... Are you saying you want a baby? Is that what all this has been about?" He looked at Timmy and saw a small nod. "Well, for fucks sake just talk to me...you don't have to start acting all weird." Armie pushed himself into a sitting position, scooting up in the bed to lean his back against the headboard and exhaling a sigh of relief. "It was so unlike you--I could tell you were keeping something from me. You know, you actually had me wondering if there was someone else. That's why I had Ty take the kids. I didn't want them here if you were coming home to end things."

The words were like a punch to the gut and Timmy had trouble breathing. "No!," he frantically replied, scrambling to sit up and crawling into Armie's lap. "Oh god, no." He reached out and clutched Armie's hand between both of his own, "I'm yours, only yours." Tears welled in his eyes and he pressed their hands over Armie's heart. He met Armie's eyes with his own, "I promise... only. ever. yours." 

"I know babe." Armie leaned in and kissed Timmy's forehead before continuing. "Things just weren't making sense, and I think my birthday got me thinking about how much older I am, and it made me a little crazy."

Timmy leaned back and caught Armie's eyes, "Oh, Armie.” He lifted his hand and stroked along Armie’s hairline, his thumb dragging against the faint smile lines that belied the joy of their life together, “you’re older, yes...but still the hottest, most amazing husband, partner, and soulmate I could ever imagine. I mean, were you not here...just now?" Armie blushed at the compliment, _and_ at the memory. 

"Anyway, you were saying? About a baby?"

"That night I missed our call? It was because I was talking to Jennifer...our old neighbor who was researching the use of CRISPR? She had been trying to reach me with no luck, and then her daughter found Hops on social media." Armie's eyes narrowed and he tilted his head, trying to understand but not really following. After a moment, his brow furrowed with recognition...of Jennifer, of the research she was working on, and of their discussion about their impossible children. 

Timmy continued, "Jennifer called to tell me they've made a breakthrough and now have a way to replace a whole chromosome in an egg, and it doesn't matter if the replacement chromosome comes from a man or a woman.” Armie’s mouth dropped open and his eyes widened as Timmy continued rambling, “And then I wanted to talk to you in person, not on the phone, and I knew you'd know something was up, so I avoided you. I'm so sorry I made things weird, and that you felt you needed to get the kids out of here." Timmy paused, then smiled, thinking about how they'd spent the last few hours, "Though it does have its advantages."

Armie looked at Timmy, confused, "Wait, what are you saying?"

Timmy's voice got quiet and his hand trembled a bit as he laid it on Armie's chest, "Armie…, she wants to know if we want to be included in the next phase of the research. She wants to know if we want to have a baby...together."

Armie stared at Timmy for a moment, stunned, before a wide smile broke out across his face and he pulled Timmy into a crushing, joyous kiss before grabbing Timmy's face in both his hands. "Holy shit! You're not joking, are you?" Timmy smiled tentatively and shook his head. Armie's eyes twinkled with excitement. "Oh my god! That's incredible!" He leaned in again for another quick kiss before continuing, "Wait...you said yes, right?"

Timmy pulled Armie's hands from his face, holding them in his own, like a joint prayer hovering between their chests. "I told her I'd let her know after I talked to you."

Armie raised a questioning eyebrow, and Timmy continued, "Every fiber of my being was screaming yes, but it's been so long since we talked about it. Even after we came out we never really talked about it, so I wasn't sure."

Armie nodded, "But...you want to, right?"

Timmy nodded nervously, as if being too enthusiastic would yank the possibility away. He dropped his eyes to their entwined hands, "I've never wanted something so much in my life." He looked up at Armie through his lashes, "except, maybe, being able to have a life with you." 

Happy tears were welling in Armie's eyes as he let Timmy's hands go and pulled him close, "Yes. A thousand times, yes. Let's do it. Let's have a baby." 

Timmy’s smile radiated happiness as they sank down into the bed, wrapped around each other, quietly letting the idea of bringing another child into their family sink in. As the post-coital glow and nervousness about talking to Armie faded, the exhaustion from the long travel day crept back and Timmy felt his eyes drifting shut. He felt a gentle kiss and heard Armie tell him to get some rest, and that he'd wake him for dinner. Timmy mumbled a request to wake him with enough time to shower, just as sleep pulled him under.

\---

Timmy was sitting on the beach, watching small waves lap against the sand. It was calm and quiet, and he was enjoying the time to himself. _Tim-my,_ he heard Armie calling his name. Where was Armie anyway, why was he here alone? _Tim-my, babe..._ he felt a warm hand on his back, rubbing in circles. _Babe, it’s time to wake up...dinner will be ready in about a half hour--you wanted time to shower._ Timmy felt a warm kiss at the back of his neck, bid adieu to the waves, and rolled onto his back. He felt soft lips on his own and smiled as he pulled his eyes open. He looked up at Armie, “Mmmm...hi.” 

“Hey babe, you need to get up if you want to shower before dinner.”

“Join me?”

Armie laughed, “Tempting, but I need to tend to the grill. If I get in there with you we won’t be eating until midnight, and that won’t work. My guess is that you haven’t really had anything to eat in at least 12 hours, and that’s if you ate on the plane, which I’m thinking you didn’t.” Timmy’s stomach growled in agreement, earning a laugh from them both. “I brought you a little something though, a few bites to tide you over,” Armie nodded his head toward a small plate on the nightstand, a couple of crackers with cheese, and some strawberries and grapes.

“Feed me?,” grinned Timmy.

“But...dinner.”

“Is the chicken already on the grill?”

“No.”

Timmy tilted his head and looked up through his lashes. He licked his lips and put on his best seductive pout. “Feed me...please?”

“Oh my god! You are incorrigible.”

“But I’m also your near-starving husband, and you wouldn't want me wasting away between now and dinner," Timmy teased with a smile.

“Well, how can I argue with that.” Armie reached out, grabbed a strawberry and raised it to Timmy’s lips. He fed Timmy another strawberry and a couple of grapes before leaning in with a kiss. “That’s it, I’m not feeding you the crackers--I don’t want crumbs in the bed.” 

Timmy smiled, knowing he had been a brat and pushed his luck as far as it would go, “Thanks for humoring me. I’ll jump in the shower and see you in a bit.”

Armie left to go finish up dinner and Timmy stood up, stopped in their closet to grab some clothes, then made his way to the bathroom. He let the shower run hot until the glass was steamy, then turned the temperature down only a little before stepping in and letting the water rain down on him. The hot water warmed his muscles and Timmy stretched, feeling the dried come and saliva pull at his skin. He washed his hair and face, waiting for the water to re-moisten the remnants of their afternoon activity, then scrubbed his chest and groin before reaching back to clean his crease. He twitched as his fingers passed over his hole, finding it still somewhat loose and slick from the afternoon. He easily pushed a finger past the first ring of muscle and gasped at the sensation, and an idea quickly formed in his mind. He finished washing and toweled off with one of the enormous, Armie-sized towels, then wandered out to the bedroom. He fumbled under the bedframe for the key hidden there and unlocked the deep bottom drawer of the nightstand on his side of the bed. His eyes drifted over the contents of their toy drawer, _not to be confused with the similarly locked rope and cuff drawer in the nightstand on Armie’s side of the bed_. He found just what he was looking for and grabbed it and the lube before heading back into the bathroom.

\---

Timmy wandered out to the patio where Armie was manning the grill, and brushed up against Armie’s back, wrapping his arms around him. It was dark, and later than they normally ate--but the heat of the summer day was finally subsiding. The strings of lights around the patio, coupled with the lighting of the pool and rock formations made the backyard a magical place. Timmy loved it out here, an outdoor oasis all their own.

“Mmm. That smells delicious. Are we close to eating? I can start bringing things out to the table.”

“Yeah, just a couple of minutes, can you go in and grab what's on the counter?”

Timmy started bringing stuff out and set the table, and started picking at the bread, his stomach growling. Armie turned off the grill and brought the chicken to the table while Timmy poured wine and tossed the salad. They sat and started to eat, and easy, relaxed conversation filled the air, from the details of the reshoots to an update on the kids. After a while, Timmy remembered the information that Jennifer had sent via email.

“Hey, I know we wanna have a baby, but there are a lot of details to go over before we can actually commit. Jennifer sent an entire zip file of information we need to go over. It might even make sense to consult with a family law attorney."

Armie raised an eyebrow, his experience with his divorce had made him wary of the entire field.

"Seriously, there are things like surrogacy contracts, embryo preservation and guardianship, which are more legal, and then there are just the practical details."

“Like what?”

“Well, they’ll need to use my chromosomes to edit into the egg, for a couple of reasons...one, it seems to be more successful if you use an egg that is at least genetically related to the chromosome donor, so if Pauline is willing to donate eggs, we could increase our chances.”

“And?”

“And I’m only 33." Timmy paused, remembering their earlier conversation and how Armie was feeling about his birthday and their age difference. "I’m sorry that age comes into it, but 40 seems to be a pretty hard cutoff in the research. Age didn’t seem to matter with the sperm used to fertilize the egg, but it mattered for the chromosome to be transferred to the egg. Something about chromosomal degeneration.”

“Makes sense, especially if it takes a couple years. What else?”

“There’s a lot of information on the likelihood of success, and what happens to the eggs that are fertilized and not used, and some stuff about things that could halt the study, or kick us out of being appropriate to be included. Some bioethics stuff about not being able to select the gender or characteristics of the baby. And we'll both need to be screened for genetic issues before starting the process. There's a lot, really.”

“Did you see anything that made you concerned enough not to at least try?”

“No. Not at all. It just hit me that it is so much harder than having a baby the traditional way...but it seems worth it to have any chance at all. I mean, I never thought it would even be a possibility.” 

Armie stood and pulled Timmy up out of his chair and into his arms. He kissed gently at Timmy’s hairline. “It’s all a lot to think about, but I have a really positive feeling about this. We'll find a time during the week to go over everything carefully, and you can talk to Pauline. Once we get it figured out we can call Jennifer and make it official." Timmy looked up and nodded. Armie continued, brushing a stray curl out of Timmy's eyes and tucking it behind his ear, “Are you still tired? We can clean up dinner and go to bed, or we can just hang out back here, maybe take a dip in the hot tub?”

Timmy thought that sounded fantastic, “Swimsuits or commando?”

“Your pick.”

Timmy raised an eyebrow and grinned “Commando it is." He stepped back and started lifting his shirt, but he was interrupted by Armie’s hands on his arms, pushing them back down. Timmy looked up, his brow furrowed, “But you said…” 

“Here, let me help you with that,” replied Armie with a twinkle in his eyes. Timmy grinned and eagerly held his arms up over his head. He felt Armie’s hands slide up under his shirt, running up his sides and brushing his nipples with his thumbs before lifting the shirt up and over his head. Timmy felt a jolt of excitement as his sensitive nipples hardened at Armie' quick touch, and he brought his arms down around Armie's neck, rubbing one hand into his hair. Armie dropped his arms to Timmy's back, and ran his hands over the smooth skin, pulling Timmy close and brushing their lips together. Armie pushed the waistband of Timmy’s shorts down over his ass and stepped back, looking down, surprised at what he saw...or actually, what he _didn't_ see. “Commando indeed!” chuckled Armie. Timmy just shrugged his response, “Sometimes underwear just gets in the way?”

Armie laughed deeply and smiled down at Timmy, “Well _that_ is some A+ life philosophy right there...we should get that put on a wall hanging or something!” Timmy laughed back and pushed Armie’s shorts _and underwear_ down to the ground. Timmy walked over to the hot tub and stuck his foot in, finding it already hot. He looked back at Armie, who shrugged as he pulled his shirt up over his head, “I thought it was better to turn it on and warm it up on the off chance we’d want to use it.”

Timmy smiled, “Well, come on then...don’t keep me waiting.” He crawled in, sinking into the hot water. It felt good, but he really noticed it around the tender skin stretched around the plug he had worked into himself after his shower. He was glad he hadn’t picked a metal one… though that might have been _interesting._

Armie climbed in after him and hit the switch to start the jets. He turned sideways, one leg up on the bench, and pulled Timmy against him, Timmy’s back to his chest. He wrapped his arms around Timmy and absentmindedly ran his hand from Timmy's stomach, down the front of his thigh, and then back up before repeating the movement. Timmy held Armie's other hand, dragging his thumb back and forth across the back of it. They laid there, mindlessly touching--relaxing, looking at the sky, and listening to the gentle breeze rattling the leaves in the tree. 

Timmy eventually broke the silence, “Thanks for making dinner tonight, it was delicious. And you’re right, I was soooo hungry. I just didn’t notice it. Guess I had other things on my mind.”

“Babe, that’s totally understandable. You were carrying a big burden, alone. If something like this happens again though, let’s just talk...even if we can’t be together we can facetime. Alright?”

Timmy shifted slightly to the side and turned his head toward Armie, reaching his hand up and pulling him in for a soft kiss. “I will, I promise.” Timmy turned around and settled back against Armie’s chest again. “I’m sorry you felt like you needed to send the kids away, but I’m really glad we've had this time together, just us.”

Armie nosed into the curls behind Timmy’s ear and ran his hands up and down Timmy's arms before massaging his shoulders. Timmy’s head lolled forward, and Armie planted a wet kiss at the back of his neck. It was all Timmy needed to know he wanted more. He crawled out of Armie’s lap and nudged Armie’s legs back together so that he was sitting on the bench normally, with his legs in front of him. Timmy straddled him and grabbed Armie’s face in his hands, kissing him aggressively from above. Armie’s hands ran up his spine and over his muscles, and Timmy ground down into Armie's lap in response, feeling Armie’s cock hardening against his own growing erection. Timmy felt Armie’s hands wander lower, kneading his ass before pulling the cheeks apart. Timmy eagerly awaited Armie’s reaction once he discovered the plug. As amazing as the afternoon had been, it hadn't fulfilled his original desire for a hot, urgent, no-holds-barred fuck, and he hoped Armie would understand the plug as the invitation it was. 

Timmy didn't have to wait long. It was only a moment before Armie's fingers bumped the edge of the toy, and Timmy felt it move inside him. He heard Armie gasp against his mouth.

“Fuuuuck! Timmy, are you _trying_ to kill me?”

Timmy grinned and shimmied his hips over Armie's lap, “No...it’s just one of the benefits of having a much, much younger husband.”

Armie groaned, “Yeah...that joke never gets old.”

“Sorry...I just couldn’t resist,” Timmy smiled between kisses, “Seriously, though...happy birthday babe.”

“My birthday’s tomorrow.”

“Armie…it’s after midnight. It's already tomorrow.”

“Well, happy birthday to me!” Armie said with enthusiasm, pushing against the end of the plug nestled between Timmy’s cheeks. Timmy arched his back against the sensation and threw his head back. Armie leaned forward, pressing his mouth into the bottom of Timmy’s neck, kissing and sucking until he knew the mark would last for days. He wanted nothing more in this moment than to claim Timmy as his own, for all the world to see. Timmy groaned and his cock hardened even more as Armie shifted and made another mark on the other side of his neck. 

"Take me to bed Armie, water makes terrible lube."

Armie stood up, pushing Timmy up over his shoulder, and climbed out of the hot tub. He carried Timmy into the house and back to the bedroom, where he dropped him on the bed. "On your stomach," Armie growled, voice low with unrestrained desire. Timmy flipped over as Armie dug into the nightstand for the lube, and he felt the mattress dip as Armie crawled up between his knees, spreading them apart. Timmy canted his hips back, exposing more of himself, and felt his whole body shiver. 

Armie saw Timmy shiver and realized they hadn't dried off, and between the air conditioning and wet skin Timmy must be freezing. He definitely wanted Timmy to shiver tonight, just not from being cold. He pulled the blanket from the bed and used it as a makeshift towel, rubbing and kissing each new patch of dry skin. "I'm dry," Timmy whined with a wiggle of his hips, "now fuck me, Armie."

Armie reached under Timmy and pulled him up onto all fours. Timmy canted his hips again and Armie slapped his ass. "That's for being so needy." Timmy let out a high whine.

Armie reached down and pressed against the base of the plug. Timmy wanted Armie's cock, but this, this _pressure_ inside him was blissful. He started to thrust his hips against the air, seeking friction where there was none. Armie slapped his ass again, "That's for being impatient." Timmy dropped his head and whimpered a quiet, "Please."

Armie stopped pushing the plug and began to pull it out. Timmy squirmed a bit, but it finally came out, leaving his hole open and fluttering. Armie leaned forward and pressed his pointed tongue into the open gap left by the plug, plunging in and out and licking, kissing, and sucking at the edges. He poured lube on his fingers and pressed two into Timmy's hole, mouthing at the sensitive skin stretched around his fingers. "Fuck," Timmy panted, knees spreading in response, and he dropped his head and upper body to the bed, arms up over his head.

Armie leaned his head back and began thrusting his fingers in and out, gradually adding a third and increasing the speed. He leaned over and gently bit at the soft, smooth skin of Timmy's ass and heard a sharp intake of breath. Timmy pressed back against him as he sucked, leaving his third mark of the night, red against the pale skin. Armie pulled his fingers away, got up on his knees, and gazed down at Timmy, his gorgeous, pale back slightly dipping in at his waist then curving into his ass...small, but oh, so luscious. Armie hurriedly poured lube into his hand, smearing it over his cock before swiping the rest along Timmy's crease. He lined himself up and pressed in just far enough for Timmy to feel himself stretch at the widest part of Armie's tip. Timmy's eyes flew open and he looked back over his shoulder and nodded eagerly. Armie dug his fingers into Timmy's hips, holding him in place as he pushed the rest of his cock into Timmy in a hard, fast thrust, leaving Timmy moaning. He pressed as far as he could and looked down to admire the stretch of the skin circling his cock. He felt a quick clench and heard a breathy "Again." He pulled out almost entirely and slammed into Timmy again, with even more force. He looked down at Timmy and saw his eyes fluttering and his mouth hanging open. "Again," Timmy pleaded, "Oh god Armie, more."

Armie started pumping himself in and out, nearly pulling out on each stroke, then crashing forward to hit skin against skin. He saw Timmy clutching the sheets in his hands trying to anchor himself against the power of Armie's thrusts, and heard little lusty groans escape Timmy's lips as Armie hit home again and again. Armie found the combination intoxicating and it excited him and spurred him on. He lifted one of his hands from Timmy's hips, and slapped it down on Timmy's ass a third time. He felt Timmy clench down on his cock as his hand made contact.

Armie let go of Timmy's hips and moved his hands to Timmy's ass, squeezing hard and eliciting a gasp before running his hands up Timmy's back. He watched as goosebumps formed and he felt Timmy shiver under his hands. Armie slowed his strokes and leaned in, wrapping one hand around to rest on Timmy's chest, pinching the hard nipple under his hand, then ran the other up the front of Timmy's neck, gripping its full width with his giant hand. He leaned back, pulling Timmy with him, fingers pressing into the soft skin at the sides of Timmy's neck. He held the grip once they were upright, feeling Timmy's rapid pulse under his fingers and pressing Timmy's upper body back against his chest. 

Timmy turned his head to Armie, his mouth open and seeking. Armie leaned in, covering Timmy's mouth with his own, his tongue probing deep within with a feral hunger. He felt Timmy's arm wrap up and clutch the back of his neck, holding them together as Armie continued to pound into him. Armie tightened the hold on Timmy's neck and Timmy reached down to grip himself, desperate for release. Armie let go of Timmy's chest and slapped Timmy's hand away from his cock. Timmy keened at the loss until Armie wrapped his own hand around Timmy's cock, smearing the streaming wetness along the shaft before gripping tightly and sliding up and down in time with his own unrelenting thrusts. He felt Timmy's hand reach back and squeeze his ass, hard, and he thrust forward once more, pushing as far as he could possibly go, his muscles tightening and pushing his release deep within his husband. Pressing even further as his own orgasm overtook him, Armie felt Timmy's legs start to shake and his whole body tightening against and around him. Timmy's eyes rolled back as he exploded with pleasure, his come shooting up in an arc before falling to the sheets below.

Armie loosened his grip on Timmy's neck as their kiss turned the corner from rough to soft. He lowered them to the bed, rolling them onto their sides, spooning together as their bodies recovered. Armie dragged his knee up onto Timmy's thigh and lazily stoked his hand over Timmy's stomach, wanting to just envelop Timmy in his embrace. Propping himself up on his elbow, he nuzzled into Timmy's hair, damp with sweat, and murmured "Babe, you okay? That was a lot."

"mm'good...was perfect...happy birthday," Timmy mumbled as he drifted to sleep.

Armie pulled the blanket over them. It was still a bit damp from its use as a makeshift towel, but it would have to do as he didn't want to disturb Timmy's sleep to get a replacement. He reflected on his birthday and having another year under his belt, and his last thought before drifting off to sleep was gratitude-- for his life, his kids, his love--here asleep in his arms, and now for the possibility of making his dream children a reality. 


	12. The Random Luck of the Universe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timmy and Armie face a bump in the road that could keep them from ever meeting one of their impossible children

October 2030

Timmy pulled in the driveway, turned off the car, and leaned back against the headrest, wondering how it was possible to already be _this_ exhausted at 8:30 a.m. _Whoever first imagined the Starbucks drive-through deserves a big kiss on the lips,_ he mused, taking a long drink of the steaming coffee by his side. He had been on school drop-off duty this entire week, as Armie had been leaving the house early and working long hours, trying to get his documentary edited in time for the Sundance submission deadline at the end of the month. Timmy couldn't understand why his drop-off days always seemed to devolve into what he called “morning chaos”--a whirlwind of activity in the kitchen as breakfasts were eaten, lunches were packed, calculators and assignments were forgotten in bedrooms, and the perfect pair of shoes was _always_ the pair that just couldn’t be found. It had been a little easier when the kids were little--more work for him or for Armie, but the kids would just do what they were told, so things ran more smoothly. Now though, with Harper turning 16 next month and Ford turning 14 the month after...the independence added to the chaos. His heart tightened with the bittersweet thought of how fast the kids were growing up, and the fact that Harper would soon be old enough to drive...and how she was so very eager to drive herself and Ford to and from school once she had that coveted driver’s license in her hands. _What a double-edged sword,_ he thought, weighing the convenience against the worry of safety. He and Armie couldn’t stop the march of time, and it felt ridiculous to prohibit the kids from having the freedom and flexibility driving would bring, so after a lot of discussion they had started researching new vehicles’ safety features and ratings--if they were going to let the kids do this, they sure as hell were going to put them in a vehicle that had so many airbags it was essentially like wrapping them up in bubble wrap. He was hoping to finish the research today, so that they could get the car before Harper’s birthday.

With that in mind, he pulled the keys from the ignition and headed into the house--the first order of business being the kitchen. As he put things away and washed up, he mentally ticked through what he hoped to accomplish before the kids got home and the chaos started again--finishing the vehicle research, reading a script Brian had sent over, and figuring out what to make for dinner since Armie expected to be late. But the thing that was most important, and what he was looking forward to the least, was calling the attorney they had been working with regarding the whole process of participating in Jennifer’s research and making their dream of having a child together a reality.

Things had been moving along ever since Armie’s birthday over a year ago, albeit slowly. Pauline had been more than happy to donate the eggs that would be used, and even offered to be their surrogate--but her age had ruled her out of surrogacy under the research parameters. Jennifer had even gone ahead and harvested Pauline’s donated eggs right away and had been keeping them frozen until everything else was ready, determining it was better to use frozen eggs from a younger person than using fresh eggs from an older one. It was all very complicated, but had thankfully run smoothly until this latest bump. Timmy wasn’t sure how to get past this one though, which is why he wanted to talk to the attorney. They were at the point of trying to find a surrogate, and it wasn’t going well _at all._ He dialed the phone and was immediately connected through.

“Timmy, nice to hear from you. What can I help you with today?”

“Melanie, we’ve got to get this surrogate thing figured out.”

“Oh yes...I heard what happened at the meeting a few days ago.”

“Things were going so well--I really thought she was the one..until we stood up to shake hands and she grabbed me and squealed ‘I can’t believe I’m going to have Timothée Chalamet’s baby!’ and started jumping up and down.” Timmy dropped his head into his hand, pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to push the memory away. “Melanie, we just can’t have that. As it is, I’m already worried she’s going to violate the NDA and run to the tabloids. You know the study is strict about privacy and confidentiality...I don't want us to get kicked out!”

“Oh, Timmy, I know...I’m so sorry. We didn’t pick up any indication of that in our screening process. We’ve already talked to her and sent her a strongly worded letter reminding her about the severe legal repercussions and financial ruin she’d be facing.”

“I’m worried we’re running out of time.” Heaving a sigh, Timmy continued, “The last time I talked to Jennifer, they wanted to start fertilizing eggs and start implanting them in just a couple of months. I know you know how important the timing is here--is there anything else we can do?”

“I’ve been thinking about it since I heard what happened and I may have a solution. It’s certainly not how things typically work, but I’m looking into whether we can keep you and Armie anonymous in the transaction. It isn’t ideal though...you wouldn’t be able to meet the surrogate, or go to the ultrasounds, or even be in the room at the birth.”

“Mel-,” the thought of missing out on those experiences was devastating.

The attorney's voice softened, "Timmy, I know. We'll keep trying to make it work and I’ll keep looking on my end. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?” 

Timmy hung up, thankful to have the call behind him but feeling unmoored. He wished Armie was home...that Armie could pull him into his arms, rub his back, and whisper into his hair that everything would work out. Timmy didn’t really understand it--his own brain could tell his heart those very same things and his heart would completely ignore it, but coming from Armie it was the gospel truth. He debated calling Armie, but decided to text instead.

TC: I just talked to Melanie.

AH: And?

TC: A possible solution, but it isn’t great. We’d be anonymous.

AH: Anonymous is good.

TC: But that means no hearing the heartbeat, no ultrasound, not being there for the birth.

AH: Fuck

TC: Yeah

The phone was ringing before the last text even went through. Timmy connected the call but didn’t speak. 

“Babe, are you okay?” 

Timmy could hear the warmth and concern in Armie’s voice, and hated that he’d interrupted his work. “Yeah..., no…, fuck, Armie, I don't know. It's just so hard. Why is it so fucking hard?”

“I know babe, do you have anything else you absolutely have to do today? Can you just take it easy? I can try to get out of here soon.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’ll be okay, really. You need to stay and finish, and then submit to Sundance. You only have like a week left.” Timmy paused before continuing, trying to convince himself that what he was about to say was true, "I mean, it will work out the way it should work out, right? Even if we don't understand it now, falling back on the random luck of the universe hasn't failed us yet. I mean, some things have been hard, but the results have been worth it, right." Timmy hated how his voice sounded so small and shaky by the time he had finished talking.

"Oh, Timmy," Armie's voice softened, "It has been so very worth it. I would do it all again to end up where we are. This _will_ work out, I know it will...we just can't see it yet." Armie paused, wishing he could pull Timmy close, then continued, “Hey, I'll do my best to get out of here in time for dinner but in the meantime, have you showered yet? You always feel better after a shower.”

“I haven’t actually...that’s a good idea. Thanks, babe. You’d better get back to it though, or you won’t make it in time for dinner. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Timmy hung up and glanced at the clock. It was barely 11:00, but his stomach was growling. _Food first, then shower._ He made a quick sandwich and ate while he read through the script Brian had sent over. It was a comedy, and actually funny, and Timmy thought he might be interested in it, depending on who else was involved. He quickly typed out an email with a couple of questions on the project, including the timing of filming, and sent it to Brian. Now that they were far enough along in the process of having a baby he had looped Brian into the possibility--not the detail of the child being both his and Armie’s, or the research angle-- just the overall possibility. He assumed Brian thought they were just using Timmy’s sperm and a surrogate, which was all he needed to know at this point. 

Timmy cleaned up his plate and headed to the shower. He was feeling better since talking to Armie and didn’t really need the shower as a comfort, but his hair was feeling greasy and, well...personal hygiene and all of that. 

He turned on the shower and stripped his clothes off while he waited for the water to warm. He caught his reflection in the mirror, his eyes landing on a faint mark just under his collar bone. A week old at this point, it was really just a faded yellowish splotch from a quick and dirty go they’d grabbed when Ford had gone over to a friend’s house and Harper had been babysitting the kids next door. They’d only had an hour to themselves, but had made good use of the time and Timmy’s cock woke at the memory. Timmy wished Armie wasn’t up against such a tight deadline--they’d gotten in the habit of using school hours to satisfy their needs for the last couple years as the kids started staying up later, and, well, recognizing what it meant when he and Armie locked themselves in their bedroom. Armie didn’t really give a fuck what the kids thought, and was of the mind that they were lucky to have his and Timmy’s relationship as a model for a healthy partnership, but Timmy still cringed at the time he had caught his own parents when he was in his teens, and was mortified at potentially being on the other end of something like that. Still, need stirred inside him, and he made a mental note to see if they could get the kids out of the house that weekend.

Timmy stepped in the shower and let the warm water run over him, its gentle caress only increasing his body’s interest in more. He closed his eyes and started washing his hair, and as he leaned back to let the water rinse the shampoo from his curls he tilted his head to one side, imagining the water as Armie’s hands, his lips, his tongue. Timmy blindly reached out and flipped open the lid on Armie’s body wash, letting the smell surround him as he finished rinsing and his hands slowly moved from his hair to his exposed neck, his long fingers trailing back and forth before gripping it and squeezing, his thumb and fingers digging into the sides and his palm pressing deliciously against his adam's apple. 

Timmy involuntarily rolled his hips at the sensation and he could almost feel the blood rushing away from his brain, straight to his cock. He let go of his neck and trailed his hand downward, sweeping over the smooth, flat center of his chest before imagining Armie's lips and teeth against him as he lifted his other hand and lazily circled his fingers around his sensitive nipples. Arousal coursed through his body as he dragged his fingernails against the raised nubs and then pinched them between his fingers. He inhaled through clenched teeth, straddling the line between pleasure and pain, a quiet moan falling from his lips.

Timmy snaked one hand up into his hair, clutching it between his fingers and closing his hand, pulling gently, while his other hand trailed down until other, coarser hair slid through his fingers. His hand brushed against the side of his cock, swollen and ready from the images playing in his mind, and he cupped himself in his hand, his fingers pulling, pushing, and squeezing against his balls, hanging low and loose from the heat, while the heel of his hand nudged against his hard length again and again. 

Finally Timmy could wait no longer and he wrapped his hand around himself, stroking lazily as the water continued to rain down on him, warm and sensual like a lover's caress. Timmy's lips parted, his tongue running across his top lip before biting down on the bottom as he inhaled deeply, _mmm...shower sex._ Pleasure was threatening to overtake him as the last remaining conscious part of his brain registered a soft groan and the sound of cloth hitting the floor. His eyes flew open as he turned and saw Armie sliding the shower door open and stepping inside. “Mmmh,” Armie’s voice was low and hungry, “when I suggested a shower might make you feel better, this isn’t exactly what I had in mind.” 

Timmy's eyes went wide as he tried to explain, "I’m sorry,” Timmy stuttered, “I just saw the faded mark and then got to thinking about how long it’s been, and well…”

“Don’t be sorry, that was the hottest thing I’ve seen in a very long time.” The words came out almost as a growl as Armie leaned in and covered Timmy’s hand with his own. “Here, let me help you with that,” he tightened the grip on Timmy’s cock, eliciting a gasp.

Timmy tilted his head up for a kiss, but pulled back at the last minute. “Wait....how long were you standing there?”

“I heard the shower door slide shut just before I walked in--I saw it all.” Armie leaned down and started sucking over the faded mark and Timmy knew it would be bright once again. He let his head drop back in invitation and Armie began kissing up his neck, up over his chin, until he finally reached Timmy’s lips, open and ready in anticipation. They kissed slowly, deeply as Timmy reached down for Armie’s cock and found it as hard as his own. He managed a few firm strokes before Armie pressed him back against the shower wall--the cold tiles against his back a shocking contrast with the water and the warmth of Armie’s body against his front. Armie ground his hips against Timmy, the water easing the friction as their throbbing cocks dragged against each other, and Timmy raised a leg, hooking it up over Armie’s hip to expose more of himself to the drag of Armie’s cock. Armie shifted his lips to Timmy’s ear, “Shower sex?”

“Oh god yes,” Timmy replied with a desperate moan, his fantasy becoming reality. 

Armie reached over among the bottles of shampoo and body wash and found the tube of creamy, oil-based lube hidden among its larger companions. He flipped the lid and squeezed it onto his fingers before shifting his hips to the side and reaching down and under the leg Timmy had circled around him. His lips found Timmy’s again as he pressed himself against Timmy’s opposite thigh, his lube covered fingers drifting down behind Timmy’s cock. He circled the tip of his finger around Timmy’s hole, spreading the lube and gently teasing the area before pressing in just enough to get past the first tight ring, waiting for Timmy to relax before pushing further. As Timmy relaxed and started moving against his finger he added another, and yet another, aided by the warm water soothing any discomfort from the quick stretch. Timmy reached down and squeezed Armie’s ass, encouraging him to move things along. 

Armie grinned and smeared the oily lube up and down his cock before reaching down to line himself up against Timmy. Timmy ran his hands up Armie’s chest and over his shoulders as Armie pressed up and in, feeling the initial resistance give way to the gentle tightness he knew so well. It was an odd sensation, the warmth now enveloping his cock ever so slightly cooler than the water that continued to wash over them. He reached down, grabbing Timmy’s ass and lifting him up. Timmy lifted his other leg and also wrapped it around Armie as he rhythmically thrust up into Timmy again and again. Timmy started rocking his hips, seeking friction for his neglected cock. Armie pressed his upper body tight against Timmy’s chest, holding him in place up against the wall, and pulled one of his hands away from Timmy’s ass, wrapped it around Timmy’s cock and stroked firmly in time with his thrusts. 

“Fuck,” Timmy panted before dropping his mouth to Armie’s shoulder and giving it a quick bite. He dragged his fingernails down Armie’s back and Armie arched at the sensation, pressing Timmy even further against the tile, now warm against his back. Timmy loved the feel of Armie’s weight crushing against him--the mattress always had a softness and a give behind him, but the hard tile...it was so much more. 

Timmy raced toward orgasm and groaned against Armie’s mouth that he was about to come. Armie felt Timmy’s muscles tighten, his thick, white come slicking over his hand for only a moment before it washed down the drain. Armie pressed deep inside Timmy a final time and threw his head back as he felt his muscles tense again and again. Timmy reached up and held Armie’s face in his hands, pulling him back down and into a deep kiss. They kissed without hurry, Timmy wrapped around Armie and pinned against the wall, until Timmy finally broke the silence, "Armie," (kiss,) "you know how much I love shower sex," (kiss,) "but I'm starting to get wrinkly," (kiss). Armie chuckled in response and lifted Timmy up, pulling out of him as Timmy unwrapped his legs from around Armie’s waist and Armie gently let him down, making sure he was steady before letting go. Timmy looked up through his wet lashes and gave Armie a coy grin, “See Armie?, I told you that tankless water heater that promised never-ending hot water would be worth the extra money...can you imagine the water running cold in the middle of that?” Armie shivered at the thought.

After a quick wash for both of them, Timmy grabbed a towel and wrapped it around Armie’s back pulling the ends toward himself so that they were close once again. After a few gentle kisses, they stepped out, dried off and Timmy started talking as they got dressed. “Why are you home so early? Not that I mind...I just thought you’d be late tonight.” 

“We started the day by watching the edit we finished yesterday and found we only needed to tweak a couple of things. It’s ready to be submitted and they’re creating the information packet and filling out the forms. I’ll go in tomorrow to do a final review and hit the submit button.”

“Babe, that’s fantastic! I’m so proud of you. I can’t imagine Sundance not picking it.” 

They wandered to the kitchen and Armie started making a solitary sandwich after Timmy explained that he had eaten before showering. Timmy sat at the table and checked his phone while keeping Armie company. A number caught his eye and he returned the call quickly. Armie barely paid attention, hearing only half of the conversation. “Jennifer?...Yeah, we’re trying, but we’ve had some trouble… Mmm-hmm… Oh?...Really? You think so?...Yeah, I think we can do that, hold on just a second.” Timmy pulled the phone away from his ear and hit mute, “Can you come with me to a meeting at 3:00? At UCLA?” Armie shrugged and nodded and Timmy finished the call, “Yeah, that sounds good...can you just text me the information?”

Armie sat down and started eating as Timmy finished the call and raised an eyebrow in question as soon as Timmy had hung up. “That was Jennifer.” Timmy explained, “She has a potential surrogate she’d like us to meet. They’re out here, so it could be really convenient.” 

“I don’t understand. I thought we were supposed to find our own surrogate.”

“Yeah, I know.” Timmy paused for a moment before continuing, “I guess this woman, Michelle, was planning to be a surrogate for another couple in the study, but for some reason they can’t move forward? She’d still like to participate though, and Jennifer thought we might be a good match.” Timmy furrowed his brow “She didn’t say exactly why though...It sounds like there might be a story there, but Jennifer just said that it would be Michelle’s to share if she wanted to. Jennifer vouched for her, so I think it’s okay to meet with her at least.”

“Wait, at 3:00?” 

Timmy nodded his response before realizing why Armie was asking. “I forgot about picking up the kids.” He reached out to call Jennifer back, but Armie laid his hand on top of Timmy’s, “Babe, let’s just see if we can find someone to bring the kids home before cancelling. They’re totally old enough to be here on their own for a while. We can leave pizza money for them in case the meeting runs long.”

Timmy texted the mom of one of Harper’s friends, and much to his and Armie’s relief she said she was happy to bring the kids home. Armie texted the kids about the ride arrangement and the pizza money, and they packed up what they needed for the meeting and headed out. 

\---

It was an easy drive to the campus but finding parking was difficult, and they had barely made it to the right building at 3:00. Once inside though, there were a lot of similar-looking rooms in similar-looking hallways, likely for small-group study sessions or other meetings, and it took a few minutes to find the right one. The door was closed when they arrived, so Timmy knocked gently, not wanting to disturb the groups in the other rooms. The door swung open to a room the size of a small bedroom, with a rectangular conference table surrounded by 8 chairs. Timmy noticed that the blinds over the window to the hallway had been closed for privacy, which he appreciated. They called a tentative hello and walked into the room to see a woman in her late 20’s staring down at her phone. At the sound of their voices she quickly closed her screen and looked up with a smile. The smile was quickly replaced by confusion.

Timmy stepped forward, “Hi, I’m Timmy...this is Armie,” he reached out to shake the young woman’s hand. “Are you Michelle? I’m sorry we're a few minutes late, we had some trouble parking.”

“Yes, I’m Michelle.” Her eyes darted between Armie and Timmy, and her body visibly tensed, “Are you-...are you participating in Dr. Robinson’s study?”

Armie laid his hand at the small of Timmy’s back, and used his calmest, most soothing voice, “We are--at least we’re hoping to. I take it Dr. Robinson didn’t tell you who you were meeting with.”

Michelle smiled and shook her head. “Nooooo, she did not...though I wondered about the need for privacy. This is quite the surprise.”

Timmy smiled warmly, “I’m really sorry about that, she was probably just trying to be discreet. We’ve had some trouble with some of the potential surrogates we’ve met. Do you want to sit down and talk a bit?”

Michelle smiled and nodded, and the tension seemed to leave her body. Timmy stepped forward to pull out her chair and then took a seat next to Armie before starting the conversation, “Jennifer mentioned you were planning on being the surrogate for another couple in the study, so you already know about the research, and how the process would work, so I'm guessing we don’t need to talk through that as much. I’m thinking what we really need to do is just get to know each other a bit.” 

Michelle nodded her agreement and started in, running through the basics--28, married, two kids, lived in Long Beach, worked in a bank. Timmy and Armie returned the favor, focusing more on the private side of their lives, how long they’d been together, the kids, how they managed their schedules, and the overall support network of friends and family both here and in New York. Before long the conversation fell into a comfortable rhythm, sharing kid stories and funny anecdotes about living in the LA area. 

After a while, Timmy acknowledged that with other potential surrogates he and Armie had asked specific questions, and that while Michelle knew about the research and the fact that she would be carrying a child that genetically had two male parents, there were still some things they’d like to cover. Michelle was agreeable, so Timmy started in, “How did you get involved with Dr. Robinson’s research? I know they are trying to maintain confidentiality as best they can, so I’m just curious.”

“Oh, that’s an easy one. My brother was one of Dr. Robinson’s research assistants when she was working out here at UCLA, like 6 years ago? He had worked with her to draft up the original grant proposals but didn’t follow her when she moved east, choosing to finish his Ph.D. here at UCLA. They stayed in touch though, and when Dr. Robinson and her team were putting together the list of couples for this phase, she called Josh and offered him the opportunity to have a baby with his husband. How about you? How did you get involved?”

“Kind of a similar story,” Timmy explained. “Dr. Robinson lived next door to us when they were out here, and our kids were friends. We had discussed the possibility of editing whole chromosomes into eggs back then, and she knew Armie and I were interested in having a child together--so probably similar to your brother, she reached out when the opportunity arose.”

“Michelle, I’m sorry, but I don’t understand.” Armie’s voice was gentle, but her explanation felt incomplete and he wanted to probe a little. “If you found your way to this research through wanting to be a surrogate for your brother, why are you offering to surrogate for us? Why aren’t you moving forward with your brother and his husband?” 

Michelle looked down for a moment, and Armie and Timmy could both see she was struggling. Timmy reached out and placed a hand over hers and she looked up, a tear trailing down the side of her face. She reached to her phone and pulled up a photo, turning it around to show Timmy and Armie a picture of two men in tuxes on what appeared to be their wedding day, broad smiles radiating joy for all to see. “This is my brother Josh, and his husband Henry. They were the best couple I’ve ever known. Josh was 4 years older than me, and I thought he hung the moon. I was so excited for them to have this opportunity to have a baby. I’m sure they would have been fantastic parents.” 

Both Armie and Timmy had noticed the use of the past tense in Michelle’s explanation, and Armie rubbed his hand over Timmy’s back, steeling them both against what they knew was coming.

Michelle took a deep breath and continued, “Last January they were in the Atlanta area for a research conference. Josh was presenting and Henry had tagged along for support. It was during that freak ice storm they had--I don’t know if you remember.” Timmy nodded and Michelle continued, “Josh was driving, and he’d never really driven on ice before--he grew up here and lived here his whole life--it wouldn’t have mattered though, they were caught in that massive pileup on the highway. Their car ended up being pushed under the bed of a semi--they never even had a chance.” Michelle looked up, tears streaming down her face. Timmy leaned forward and took her hands in his, and Armie reached around him to place a calming hand on her back. Timmy took a deep breath--he remembered reading about that crash, it had been big news locally, even though it happened on the opposite side of the country, as nearly 40 people lost their lives in that single crash. After a few minutes Michelle pulled back and wiped her eyes, “I’m sorry guys, I just miss them a lot.”

“Please don’t apologize,” Armie responded, his voice soothing and deep, “what a devastating loss. We’re so sorry.”

“So anyway,” Michelle continued, “After I was able to see through my grief, I wanted to give another couple the possibility of a baby that Josh and Henry just didn’t end up getting. I know that may sound strange, but it’s a way I feel like I can honor their memories.”

“Michelle, that’s so generous and beautiful.” Timmy continued, “I wish we’d had a chance to meet them. They sound like wonderful people.”

“Oh guys, I so wish Josh could have met you.” Michelle gently shook her head, another tear falling from her eye. “You have no idea what it would have meant to him. It’s part of why I was so shocked when you walked in.”

“What do you mean?,” asked Timmy.

“Your movie? Call Me By Your Name? It changed Josh’s life. He was about 17 and so, so unhappy, kind of self-destructive, you know?...I was about 13 and just felt like I was watching him fall apart. And then one day, he came home and out of the blue he came out to our parents. He had seen your movie and recognized himself--he had us all watch it so that we could understand. Thankfully our parents were supportive and Josh was able to get to a good, happy place. He even took his boyfriend to his senior prom!”

Armie’s voice wavered a bit as he responded, “That movie means so much to us, and to so many people. We’re just so glad we could be a part of something that made such a difference to Josh.”

“But there’s more.” Michelle continued, “Timmy? Your Oscar speech? Josh and Henry were watching that night, and the love and bravery that flowed from you in that moment? It was so inspiring to them--Henry got down on one knee and proposed, right then and there. He even quoted part of your speech in his vows."

Timmy could hardly believe what he was hearing. Suddenly the difficulty with the other potential surrogates made sense...he believed wholeheartedly that things happened for a reason, and the universe was putting them here, with Michelle, just like it had put him and Armie together in Crema--it was just meant to be. He hoped Armie was feeling the same. Michelle's voice interrupted his thoughts…

"-so here's my number. It would absolutely be my honor to be your surrogate if you'd like. I feel like it was the random luck of the universe that brought us together. And if not, I hope you find someone that fits. I never in my life would have thought it would be possible for two men to have a child together. It's such an incredible opportunity, and I hope it works out for you."

"The random luck of the universe?" Timmy raised an eyebrow in question.

"Yeah," Michelle said, "I know it's not something you hear too often, but it was one of Josh's favorite sayings...he used it whenever something seemed to work out in the very best way."

Timmy turned and saw Armie looking back at him, eyes wide in surprise at hearing the phrase that held so much meaning for them. Timmy felt the final piece of this process click into place. "She's the one," Timmy mouthed silently, and Armie gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. Timmy turned back around.

"Michelle, we would love for you to be our surrogate.


	13. The Sample

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timmy flies home for something that has to be done in person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thanks to anyone and everyone who is reading this! I so very much appreciate the comments and kudos, and I really hope this one doesn't make anyone cry! (But it is totally okay if you do, because these things get emotional, you know?)

Early May 2031

Timmy was on edge. He wasn't a stranger to juggling work and his personal life, but the last couple months had been _really_ hard and he felt like he finally understood the concept of burning a candle at both ends. The pressure seemed to be coming from all sides--the kids just finished the school year before going to Liz’s for six weeks, he had a lead role in the movie he was currently working on, there were deadlines looming in the baby process, and he’d only overlapped with Armie for three days before leaving for the shoot. Timmy knew he really needed to recharge, but there just wasn’t _time._ He'd been on set in Lisbon for nearly a month and they had only taken a couple of days off, trying to squeeze the maximum amount of filming in the shortest amount of time. He just couldn't get away, and Armie couldn't fly out to see him either--he'd needed to stay in LA until the kids got out of school last week, and now...well _now_ Timmy needed time off for a different reason. The director had generously shuffled scenes around to give Timmy from noon on Friday until Monday morning off, once Timmy had explained the importance and time-sensitivity of what he needed to do--but Timmy knew he would be right back into the grind as soon as he got back. 

He pulled his headphones over his ears, trying to find respite from the drone of the engines, and stretched out, attempting to find a comfortable position in order to take advantage of the opportunity to get some sleep. _Thank god for first class, and thank god for in-flight wi-fi,_ Timmy thought, as he replied to the email confirming his appointment for the next day. With that finished, he closed his eyes and reclined, phone still in his hand. He’d only had his eyes shut for a minute before the phone buzzed with the notification of an incoming text. Timmy opened an eye to peek at the notification, then smiled and opened the text. 

AH: Are you sleeping?

TC: No. The engines are loud and I can't get comfortable. Why?

AH: What are you wearing?

TC: Seriously?

AH: Mmm hmm

TC: No. No way...that’s not fair and you know it.

AH: You can get one of the flight attendants to bring you a blanket. It could be mutually beneficial.

TC: Seriously?

AH: I mean....you’ve been gone almost a month, and now you’re going to Boston instead of coming home.

TC: Are you fucking joking right now? I’m literally taking back-to-back transatlantic flights to go jerk off in a cup so we can have a baby, and you want text sex? 

AH: Hmmm, sounds selfish when you put it that way.

TC: And it can’t be mutually beneficial! Didn’t you read the instructions? Tell me you've read the instructions.

AH: I was going to read them before it was my turn, so like next week?

TC: You're not supposed to come for 72 hours before giving the sample. 72 hours Armie! THAT’S THREE FUCKING DAYS and I'm feeling a little bit tense!

AH: I can tell...I’m sorry. No text sex. 

TC: And I HATE flying!

Timmy silenced his phone, shoved it in his pocket, and closed his eyes. Less than a minute later his eyes were open and he had his phone out. He loved Armie beyond reason and knew he shouldn’t have reacted that way...and he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep without clearing the air and apologizing. He opened his messages and saw Armie had beaten him to it.

AH: Babe. I’m sorry. It started as a joke, but I took it too far. You seem stressed...is there anything I can do?

TC: I’m sorry too. It was totally my fault. I normally like it when you tease, and you _know_ I’m into text sex, I just feel smushed--like everything’s pressing in on me. I need a break--and I really wish I were coming home instead of to Boston. 

AH: Me too babe, me too. What’s the schedule for the next few days?

TC: Well, I land at 7:00 and my appointment is at 11:00, so I figure I’m going straight there from the airport, especially since I have to clear customs. I’m just going to go to the hotel after that, maybe sleep, especially if I don’t get to sleep soon. Then I get back on a plane...I think I’m on the ground less than 24 hours.

AH: Is there anything I can do? Do you want me to book you a massage or something? There’s probably a spa at the hotel.

The lack of sleep and pressures of life were making Timmy emotional and he almost cried--it was like Armie was reaching out to hug him through the phone and he just felt so very cared for. He wished Armie was beside him so that he could lean against him and just settle there, listening to Armie’s deep breaths and strong heartbeat as his chest rose and fell under his head. The image calmed Timmy, and he really wanted to give sleep another try. He typed one more text.

TC: I think I’ll pass on the massage, but thank you for taking care of me. I’m feeling more relaxed and I think I’ll close my eyes and try to get some sleep. I love you.

AH: Sweet dreams babe, I love you too.

\---

Timmy had actually gotten a good five hours of sleep on the flight and felt better than he expected as he wound his way through customs, called an Uber, and made his way to Brigham and Women’s Hospital--affiliated with Harvard’s medical school and at the cutting edge of biomedical research. All of the sample collection, gene editing, fertilization, and embryo transfers for the study were being done there--Pauline had come here to donate the eggs as soon as she had agreed to help, he was here now to provide a fresh sample, which they would use to modify the eggs over the next week, and then Armie would be here in a week to provide his sample. It would only be a few days then until the eggs were fertilized and implanted, with Michelle set to fly out and meet up with Armie here in a week. Jennifer had explained the process and was reporting good results with the procedures they’d done so far. Timmy found the whole process fascinating--he couldn’t believe that they were only a month or so away from knowing whether it worked--whether they would get to have a baby. 

He found the room number Jennifer had sent him and knocked. He’d been expecting something like a doctor’s office, but this seemed more like the professors' offices he’d been in when he was studying at Columbia. The door swung open as he knocked to reveal a smiling Jennifer. “Timmy, I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Jennifer!” Timmy leaned in with a hug, “How are you? This is a nice surprise.”

“I’m good. I hope it’s okay I had you come to my office. I had planned to just walk you down to the lab clinic when you got here, but they called and they’re running a little behind this morning so we have some time to waste. Are you hungry? I can order lunch and we can chill in my office.” Timmy thought that sounded good, so they did a quick food order and sat in the office while they ate, discussing work and comparing notes on the difficulties of parenting teenagers. Timmy really enjoyed Jennifer’s company and was grateful they had crossed paths, for the opportunity to participate in the study, sure, but also just for her friendship. 

“Are you in town long? We’d love to have you over for dinner or something.”

“No,” Timmy replied, “I think I’m on the ground less than 24 hours, and even half of those are only because there aren’t that many direct flights between Lisbon and Boston. And I appreciate the dinner offer, but I really should try to get some sleep while I’m here...I’m supposed to be back on set less than 4 hours after I get back.”

“Ugh, that sounds awful. I mean, I work long hours, but not like that. Have you and Armie talked about how you’re going to manage when your baby is born?”

“Yeah, we’ve been talking about that a lot...and honestly, it is part of the reason it is so busy now. We’re trying to get most of our previous commitments off our plates. I’m to the point of not taking new projects until we know more of what the future holds." Timmy smiled--he'd noticed that Jennifer had just talked about the baby in terms of _when,_ and not _if,_ and it made the future seem so much more certain. "Oh hey--Armie will be out here in a week and he has more flexibility. You should reach out and see if he wants to have dinner with you guys while he’s here. A warning though...he's putting together a new film and he's so excited about it that you might have trouble getting him to talk about anything else.” 

“Max would absolutely love that! I’ll definitely invite him over." Her phone buzzed and she gave a small nod. "Can you text me his info? I’m always just contacting you and I’m not sure I even have his number.” Timmy looked up and saw Jennifer fighting against the smile trying to take over the corner of her mouth. She saw him looking and quickly changed the subject, “That was the clinic and it looks like they're ready for you. I'll walk you down.”

Jennifer walked with him but then left, needing to get back to her lab after taking so much time for lunch. The technician explained the process, and Timmy thought it seemed simple enough--he essentially just needed to come into the sample cup and then hand it over. The only complicating factor was making sure the sample wasn't contaminated with other DNA sources, so he had to start with some gentle disinfecting wipes, wear gloves, and use special sterile lube. All things considered, he was thankful for how clinical the environment was...it made the whole process seem more like a medical procedure and less like a teenage boy pleasuring himself in his bedroom. 

The tech led Timmy down the hallway and got him settled in the room. She showed him the label of the cup and had him initial it to minimize any possibility of mixing things up. "When you're finished, just make sure to put the lid on the cup before taking off the gloves." And with that final comment, the tech walked away, pulling the door shut behind her. 

Timmy stood in the middle of the room, suddenly nervous. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to process the thoughts that pushed their way into his mind. Timmy was grateful for this chance to have a baby with Armie...he _was_...it was just that this didn't match his vision of making a baby. Not that he'd given it a _lot_ of thought, but once upon a time he'd imagined slow, emotional lovemaking and a whispered claim of "I think we just made a baby," and this was...not that. He felt alone and awkward as he stripped from the waist down and sat on the couch. 

Timmy pulled on the gloves and used the wipes to clean his cock of any potential stray DNA. He started following the procedure explained by the tech, but scoffed at the idea that it was needed--he had been away from Armie for a month, and never, not ever in their entire relationship had he even once been tempted by another. The cleansing wipe was cool against him and he rolled his eyes at himself as his cock sprang to life at the sensation. He cut himself some slack though, as it _had_ been over three days. He poured some lube into his gloved hand, leaned back against the couch, wrapped his hand around his cock and pulled a long stroke from the base to the tip. He felt his back arch and his hips tilt, and figured this wouldn't take long--but after a few minutes of nothing more than a twitch here or there he was frustrated. He paused and started to switch positions, hoping it would help.

Timmy heard a knock at the door and shouted a strained "Someone's in here," before seeing the door start to open. He muttered under his breath and did his best to cover himself while not contaminating the area. "I said--someone's in here," he said through clenched teeth as he saw someone stepping inside. Timmy’s whole body tensed, and he was looking away to avoid embarrassing eye contact when he heard the low, silky voice he knew so well, "Babe, I thought maybe you could use a hand with that." The tension immediately washed away and Timmy shook his head at the awful pun before opening his eyes and smiling up at Armie, "A hand?...Really?" Armie shrugged, “Whatever you need, I’m here for you--I do have gloves and a cleansing wipe, in case you literally want a hand.” Timmy raised an eyebrow in question, and Armie continued, “I actually did read the instructions, I know we need to be careful about contamination.” Armie sat on the couch next to Timmy, “I hope it’s ok I’m here.”

Timmy was almost overwhelmed by the emotion of having Armie _here_ , just when he needed him so very much, and it took all of his control to not just reach out and touch him, contamination be damned. “Armie,” the tone and reverence in Timmy’s voice made the name sound like a prayer, “let’s figure out how to get this done so we can just go be together.”

After a little jostling around on the couch and a short discussion of whether or not Armie should actually be lending a hand in the truest sense of the word, they settled into a position of Armie sitting in a corner of the couch, cradling Timmy’s upper body in his arms, while Timmy laid out along the couch’s length, with easy access between his cock in one gloved hand and the collection cup in the other, just for more control over the whole process. They kissed as Timmy stroked himself, gentle and slow at first, with messages of love and encouragement falling from Armie’s lips between kisses. As the excitement and speed built, Armie pulled Timmy’s head back and leaned into his neck, mouthing kisses there and sliding a hand up under Timmy’s shirt, rubbing his chest and teasing his nipples. And as Timmy’s body tensed and he approached the edge of release, Armie wrapped his arm around Timmy’s shoulders and pulled him up into a kiss of soul-binding depth, his love circling Timmy as he came into the collection cup. Timmy barely had the presence of mind to flip the top of the collection cup closed and set it aside before pulling off the gloves and clutching Armie’s face in his hands, his kiss communicating all of the emotions swirling around inside him as he thought to himself, _we just made half a baby._

After several minutes had passed, Timmy finally had the presence of mind to ask the question he'd had when Armie first walked in. “Did you drop everything and come because of our text fight? I was such a dick--I’m sorry you felt the need to fly all the way out here just for the day, though I’m glad you did.” 

“No babe, I scheduled this trip right after you worked out your flight details. The kids finished school and I got them packed off to Liz, so there was no reason I had to be at home--and I just wanted to see you. My plane was delayed a bit though, so Jennifer helped delay you until I got here.”

“I knew it! I could totally tell something was up at the end. She made a comment about inviting me to dinner and I begged off, thinking I would get some sleep, but I mentioned she should call you when you are here in a couple of weeks. She actually implied she didn’t have your contact info, and I caught her fighting off a smile as I texted it to her.” Timmy thought back to Jennifer’s office and shook his head. He started cleaning up and got dressed, and then continued talking as they walked to the desk, hand-in-hand. “Is it okay if we just go to the hotel? It’s not that long before I have to get back on the plane and I want it to be just us for the time we _do_ have.” Armie thought that sounded like a great plan.

Timmy dropped off the sample and grabbed his and Armie's backpacks that the tech had so kindly held behind the desk. He was all about travelling light, and the limited time on the ground meant that all he needed was a change of clothes and some basic hygiene items. The hotel was only a few blocks away, so they walked--hand in hand, enjoying the crisp air of spring. As they walked, Timmy realized that although the hotel was a nice one, he had just gotten a basic room, thinking he’d be there alone. “Armie, I just got a basic room, I’m not even sure it has a king bed...should we try to switch it?”

Armie smiled, “Babe, it’ll be fine, the important part is that we have a place to just be together for the next, what--, 16 hours at this point?”

They walked into the hotel, and Timmy went to the desk to check in. The clerk gave him a key and a room number, commenting, “Nice choice, the Loft is lovely. I hope you enjoy your stay.” Timmy thanked the clerk, confused about him calling the room “the loft,” but not wanting to spend any extra time trying to get things sorted. He had a room key, and Armie, and well...nothing else really mattered. They rode the elevator to the top floor, but when they exited, there were only a handful of doors--not the long hotel corridor he was expecting. Timmy opened their door to find a beautiful suite done in an industrial loft style, comfortable and inviting, with whitewashed brick, floor-to-ceiling windows, couches in front of a fireplace, and even a scaled-down pool table. Timmy turned to Armie with a smile, “The important part is that we have a place to just be together, huh?” 

“I mean, if we aren’t even planning on leaving the hotel, isn’t it nice to have a little space?’

Timmy dropped his bag on the table as Armie walked over to the window and commented on the view. He saw Armie’s large rolling suitcase and computer bag resting against a table leg and realized he must have sent them ahead to the hotel while he stopped at the hospital. He walked over to Armie and stood beside him at the window. “I saw your bags...are you planning on just staying here until you have to give your sample next week?” Armie pulled Timmy over and wrapped his arms around him, chest to back, Timmy’s curls tickling his nose. 

“I might...like I said, there isn’t any reason I have to be at home. Everything I need to be doing for work right now can be done remotely--researching locations, vetting actors that I’d like to audition, reaching out to agents...that kind of stuff. And I’ve never really spent much time in Boston.” Timmy mumbled something about that making sense, but underneath that he was just wishing he could stay too. He didn’t want to get on that plane, especially since the last time he checked, the seat next to him had finally been filled. “But,” Armie continued, voice soft and questioning, “I could also just go back with you to Lisbon for the week. I know you're busy and we won’t see each other much, but I could work or sightsee during the day, and even if you’re working long hours and come home exhausted, we can sleep in each other's arms until I need to be back here to give my sample. I have the seat next to you on the flight if you are okay with that.” 

Happiness washed over Timmy and he turned to face Armie, his eyes bright and happy, “I’m so, so okay with that.” He tipped his head up and kissed him, their lips soft and gentle against each other. Armie ran a hand up the side of Timmy’s face, his thumb resting under Timmy’s jaw and his fingers trailing over Timmy’s ear and onto the back of his neck. “Mmmh,” Armie hummed, his deep voice racing through Timmy’s veins like his own blood, “Do you have any suggestions on how we should spend the next 16 hours.”

“I can think of a few,” Timmy looked up at Armie, a blush rising on his cheeks. “But I travelled light, and didn’t expect to see you, and--, well...I don’t have any lube.” He saw Armie looking down at him with a funny look on his face, so he quickly added, “We could run out to a drugstore, or call down to the front desk or do...other things.”

“Babe,” Armie gave a small chuckle, smiled, and licked his lips, “You may not have expected to see _me_ , but I was _definitely_ expecting to see _you_.” Timmy watched Armie’s eyes darken as he leaned down, brushed his lips against Timmy’s ear, and roughly whispered, “And for the last two weeks I’ve been absolutely unable to shake the thought of how it feels to have you inside me.”

Timmy quit breathing for a moment as his pupils visibly widened and all the blood in his body seemed to flood his cock at Armie’s scintillating insinuation. A strangled moan escaped his lips,“Oh god, Armie, yes...that sounds-.” Timmy’s pulse raced as he stepped forward with urgent need and pulled Armie’s face down into a hot, wet kiss that he was certain they had both felt all the way to their toes.

They made their way to the bedroom after a quick detour to Armie's bag and stood beside the bed, kissing with the want and need of long-lost lovers as Timmy quickly undid the buttons standing in the way of seeing and feeling the skin of Armie’s broad chest. Buttons undone, he eased Armie’s shirt off his shoulders and broke the kiss only for as long as it took to pull his own shirt up and over his head. They continued kissing, skin against skin, the urgency abating, replaced by the need to savor being back together after so long apart. Timmy ran his hands over Armie’s chest, his shoulders, his arms, his back, feeling the warm skin covering the rippling muscles underneath. He loved the way the muscles moved--so familiar that he could predict Armie’s next move by what he felt under his hands. Timmy felt a twitch, and knew Armie was reaching for his fly, fingers moving unexpectedly deftly considering the size of the hand. Timmy returned the favor, pushing Armie’s jeans down and pressing his hand against the bulge straining against the boxers. He led Armie back to the bed and guided him into a sitting position as he pulled the boxers down over his thighs. Timmy knelt in front of Armie and pulled his jeans and boxers off over his feet, then sat back on his own heels, relishing the sight of Armie, naked and unguarded before him. He leaned forward and pressed Armie’s legs apart, running his hands up the front of them and scooting forward to slot himself between Armie’s strong, hairy thighs. He looked up at Armie and kissed him deeply, running his hands up over Armie’s chest and neck to cradle Armie’s face as they kissed. 

After a moment, Timmy broke the kiss and began trailing kisses down over Armie’s chin, down the front of his neck, and finally down the center of his chest, Timmy’ hands gently caressing the skin at the sides of his lips. As he reached Armie’s navel, he let one of his hands drift down to gently trace against the few inches of Armie’s crease exposed by his splayed legs. “Lube,” Timmy murmured without looking up, holding out his other hand, not wanting to have to break once he really got started. He licked around the sensitive tip of Armie’s cock and heard Armie gasp at the sensation as he pressed the bottle of lube into Timmy’s palm. Timmy set it aside to concentrate on the glory of Armie’s cock, pressing his face forward, his nose in the soft space between the cock’s base and the balls underneath. He inhaled deeply, savoring the scent he’d missed so much, and began to alternate gentle kisses and licks from the base of the cock to its tip. He slowly dragged his tongue around the head and then sucked Armie into his mouth, wrapping his fingers around the base and stroked in sync with the bobbing of his head up and down. He did his best to look up at Armie, his own hair making it nearly impossible until he felt hands pulling his hair back and tucking it behind his ears. He looked up again to see Armie looking down at him, the blue of his eyes only a thin ring around pupils wide with desire. 

Timmy pulled his mouth from Armie’s cock with a pop, licked his lips, and smiled up at him, giving him a cheeky wink before running his hand up to his chest and pushing him backward so that he was laying flat against the bed. Timmy lifted Armie’s legs, bending them at the knees and spreading them wide for better access, then pressed Armie’s legs apart and dropped his mouth back down, intentionally giving the impression that he was returning to Armie’s cock, but instead flattening his tongue and running it up Armie’s exposed crease, giving his entrance a little flick with his tongue. The surprise sent shockwaves through Armie’s body and Timmy felt him clench against the sensation, “Fu-uck, Timmy! Oh my god, that feels so good. Fuck!”

Timmy smiled and swirled his tongue around Armie’s hole as he poured lube into his hand. He ran his lubed hand up Armie’s crease and continued to tease him with his tongue as he pressed a single thin finger inside, as far as it would go. Timmy knew that Armie would be absolutely begging Timmy to fuck him by the time he was done preparing Armie to take his cock, and Timmy couldn’t wait to hear it. It wasn’t that Timmy didn’t top Armie, he _did_ , just not often, and with Armie’s tight heat surrounding his cock, he found it very difficult to not just come at the very first movement. Timmy knew that spending enough time opening Armie up would help him stave off his own orgasm long enough to give Armie the experience they both wanted.

Armie shifted his hips in encouragement, and Timmy began slowly moving his finger in and out, swirling it occasionally to drag it across Armie's prostate. Hearing Armie’s groans of pleasure he poured lube directly onto Armie’s hole and pressed a second finger inside, slowly scissoring the fingers to gently stretch the tight muscles. Though Timmy had a lithe build, he wasn’t a small man, just small in comparison to his giant husband. He also knew that he was more than proportional, and he never wanted to hurt Armie, so he pressed a third finger in alongside the other two, and pressed in once again. 

Timmy got to his feet and leaned over Armie, watching him feel the stretch--eyes closed, mouth open, chest heaving. Timmy felt a jolt of desire run through him, watching this beautiful man want him, _need_ him...he wasn't sure how much longer he could wait before losing control and just letting his baser instincts take over, and was relieved when Armie finally opened his eyes. “Timmy,” Armie’s voice was ragged, “Enough… please… I need you inside me.”

Timmy poured more lube in his hand and smeared it over his cock, then lined himself up with one hand, while leaning forward and resting his other hand beside Armie’s head. He held Armie's gaze and saw his small nod before leaning forward and pushing his cock past the first right ring, only a few inches at first, then waited. “Babe, don’t forget to breathe,” Timmy whispered as he felt Armie clenching around him. After a few breaths and another nod, Timmy slowly pressed forward until he was fully seated and felt skin on skin. He leaned down into a kiss as he started slowly grinding, waiting for Armie to give him a sign he was ready for more. After a moment, Timmy felt Armie’s hand on his ass and felt Armie’s legs shaking from the strain of holding them up and apart. Timmy moved his arms up under Armie’s knees to provide support as he started thrusting in earnest, the tight drag against his cock eliciting a lusty groan, “Fuck...the feel of you around me...god...ungh, Armie.”

Timmy continued, varying his speed and depth until Armie’s eyes closed and desperate pleas fell from his lips. Timmy lifted a leg up over his shoulder and used the freed hand to grip Armie’s cock, stroking a steady rhythm in time with his deep thrusts. He felt himself approaching the edge, and gasped “Open your eyes Armie.” They held each other’s gaze as Timmy ran his finger along the slit of Armies cock with his next thrust and pulled it up to his lips, tasting it with his tongue as he pushed deep one final time. The sight, the taste was enough to throw them both over the edge and they came together, Timmy’s release washing deep inside Armie as Armie painted his own chest with thick ropes of white.

Timmy collapsed forward on top of Armie, crashing together in an open-mouthed kiss. He felt Armie’s legs circle around him, holding him close as he stroked Armie’s sweat-covered forehead and snaked his fingers into his damp hair. Timmy pulled his head back and smiled, “I hope that lived up to your imagination--two weeks is a long time to let the fantasy build up.” Armie smiled and replied through still-heavy breaths, “Better...it was even better.”

Thirteen hours later, after a quick nap, a sensual joint shower, some food, and quite possibly one of the best blowjobs Timmy had ever gotten in his life, they made their way to the airport. They were relaxing in the first class lounge waiting for their flight to be called when Armie leaned over and playfully whispered into Timmy’s ear, “You know, _this_ flight _could_ be mutually beneficial, now that you've given your sample. We should definitely ask for blankets before we take off.” Timmy cocked an eyebrow, but didn't say no.

Once on the plane, they _did_ ask for blankets. But contrary to all intent, used them only as cover against the cool cabin air as they slept, leaning against each other, Timmy’s head settling against Armie’s chest, finding peace in the sound of his husband's deep breaths and strong heartbeat. 


	14. The Setback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timmy and Armie experience a bump in the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two things:  
> 1\. As the chapter title suggests, not everything is easy in this chapter. Some of the IVF/assisted reproductive processes described in this chapter are close to those in use today, and in case any of you have struggled with fertility I wanted to give you all a heads-up. If you'd like to skip the hard part, you can read to the dashed line, and then skip over until the next dashed line, or you can just skip to the second dashed line, which is the part that starts August 28, 2031. If you'd like to just skip the chapter entirely, there's a short summary in the end note. Please read this chapter in whatever way is best for you.  
> 2\. I have some work deadlines coming up over the next week, coupled with some general life stuff that will prevent me from getting the next chapter posted next week. I ask you to kindly hang with me while I take two weeks until I post again.

June 2031

“Hey Timmy, d’you need help with your bags?” Niki called from the driver’s seat as Timmy hoisted his suitcase and backpack from the trunk. “Nah, I’ve got it--it’s just the one.” Timmy closed the trunk and walked over to the driver’s side window. “Thanks for the ride, man. I’m really sorry we had to ask, but you know how Armie feels about random drivers knowing where we live.” They both knew Armie would have picked him up, except he was sitting in on the final chemistry readings for one of the important supporting roles in the movie he was supposed to start filming in just a couple of weeks. 

“I’m happy to do it--and Timmy, you _know_ he’s not wrong. He can be a little over the top sometimes, especially since he had that nightmare, but there really are crazy people out there, and it just isn’t worth the risk. I really appreciate your being sensitive to that.”

Timmy started nodding, but then paused, "Wait, what nightmare?"

"Shit," Niki grimaced and ran his hand over his mouth and chin. "I assumed you knew and that's why you've been going along with the whole ride thing--he called me in a panic in the middle of the night right before you flew home for the first time after moving into the house. He'd dreamed that you texted him after you landed, saying you'd grab an Uber, but then you never made it home."

"Oh, that's-, I just went along with it because it makes sense."

"Yeah, well...could you maybe not let on that you know? I mean, it doesn't really change anything, you know?"

“Of course, I won't say anything, and I’m actually glad to know--I've pushed back on this once or twice over the years, but I certainly won't do it again. Thanks for being the kind of friend he can call in the middle of the night, you know? Hey, total change of subject, but do you have any time in your schedule over the next couple of weeks? The kids don’t get home until the end of the month, and we’d love to have you guys over.”

“I’ll have to check and let you know.” Niki laughed, “You know I’m not really the keeper of our schedule.” 

“Sounds good,” Timmy said with a smile, “Thanks again for the ride.” 

Timmy heard Niki drive away as he walked up to the door, turned the key, and stepped inside, quickly turning off the alarm before standing still and appreciating the moment. _Home._ A sense of peace and happiness washed over him. It had been about two months since he had just been _here_ , been _home,_ and he had missed it more than he had even realized. Normally he would have been here at least a few days on a mid-shoot break, but they really hadn’t taken a break, and the couple days they did have, he’d needed to spend in Boston. He wished that Armie could have been here when he got home, but figured the least he could do after being gone for two months was patiently wait a few hours--Armie had promised to be home for dinner and that they could just spend the evening together without any other demands on their time.

Timmy pulled his suitcase behind him into the bedroom with the intent of unpacking, but once inside something else caught his attention. He took a deep breath to make sure he hadn't imagined it, but there it was--Armie...it _smelled_ like Armie. Timmy wondered whether it always smelled this much like Armie and when he was home he just quit noticing it, or whether the smell was actually different--that when he was home their scents mingled into “them” instead of either of them separately. It didn’t matter, really, the smell was overwhelming, heady and wonderful, and he felt the familiar tingle of desire course through him. He glanced at the clock to see how long he’d have to wait-- _four hours...I can make it four hours._ He walked over to the bed and sat down, pulling Armie’s pillow to his face and breathing in, letting the scent fill his lungs. He’d missed being here in the house, sure, but Armie was what made this house Timmy’s home, and his heart, mind, and body yearned for him. They’d facetimed of course, but it wasn’t the same as being there together in person, skin touching skin, lips touching lips, breathing the same air, sharing their thoughts, and doing...other things. 

He thought back to Boston to Armie’s surprise appearance, and the following week in Lisbon, and smiled at the memories. Once he had gotten back on set, Timmy’s schedule had freed up just a little, enough to spend a few hours together each evening before falling into bed, wrapped around each other until morning--it was easy and having Armie there settled him, grounded him in a way that made the stress so much easier to handle. They had both been disappointed at the end of that blissful week that there wasn’t enough flexibility for Timmy to fly back to Boston when Armie needed to leave. But they’d done what they always did--figured out a way they could be “together”...in spirit if not in person--and so when Armie went to the clinic and gave his sample, Timmy whispered words of love and encouragement via facetime while holed up in his trailer on a break. 

Timmy laid back on the bed and thought about the process that Jennifer and her team had developed, and how interesting and miraculous it was. As part of the research protocol, the team had recordings of every step but the actual sample donations, to be kept as part of the research documentation with the hope that someday they could submit the results to the FDA for approval to perform the procedure outside of the research bubble. Jennifer had sent them snips of video showing _their_ procedures, so Timmy and Armie had actually been able to watch as science created the beginnings of their impossible children. 

It had been astounding to see, at thousands of times magnification, the filament-thin needle vacuum sucking the X chromosome out of the egg and then a second filament-thin syringe injecting a different X chromosome, over and over, until all 15 eggs had been modified. Then to see the prepared eggs rest in the dish while a dropper of Armie’s sperm was added, watching them swim and fight for the right to be the one to make new life. And then finally, a time-lapse video of the fertilized eggs developing from a single cell, dividing again and again until they were blastocyst embryos of 100 cells, and the following judgement and categorization of them into those that held promise and those that didn’t. Timmy had felt a small heartbreak when two of them didn’t develop as expected and had to be discarded, but at the end of the process, 13 of them looked good enough to move forward. The final step was transferring three of those to their surrogate, Michelle, and freezing the rest in accordance with the research protocol.

Timmy’s thoughts shifted to where they were now, waiting for news from Michelle that the transfer had been successful and that she was pregnant. Timmy wanted to text her and ask if she’d heard anything, but he and Armie had agreed to wait to hear any news when they were together, so he began not-so-patiently waiting for Armie to get home. 

Timmy busied himself, unpacking and getting everything sorted out so that once Armie got home he wouldn’t have anything else he needed to do. As he stepped into the closet to put his own clothes away, Armie's smell hit him again and he dug into one of Armie's drawers, grabbing the softest t-shirt he could find. Timmy held it up to his nose and inhaled deeply before peeling his own shirt off and pulling his find over his head, liking the idea that the shirt would keep him company until the real Armie was home. He finished unpacking, but before he left the bedroom, Timmy dug into the top drawer of his nightstand and grabbed the bottle of lube and shoved it in his pocket...the kids were still with Liz for the next two weeks after all, and they had the house all to themselves. In any case, it was best to just be prepared.

Timmy was in the kitchen looking for a snack when he got a text from Michelle.

MP: Are you home?

TC: Yes. Is everything ok?

MP: Is Armie with you? 

TC: No, he’s watching chemistry readings, he should be home about dinner time though.

MP: Can you let me know when he gets home? I’d like to drop by.

TC: News?

MP: Timmy...you know better than that. You both asked me to tell you things together.

TC: You’re right, I’m just impatient. I’ll let you know as soon as he’s home. We could tentatively plan for 8:00, is that too late, with trying to get your kids to bed?

MP: That works. I’ll just plan on seeing you then unless I hear otherwise.

TC: Sounds good, thanks.

Timmy smiled at how Michelle didn’t let him get away with anything, but now he was impatiently awaiting Armie _and_ Michelle’s news. _Two hours until Armie gets home, five hours until we talk to Michelle._ He grabbed a beer, and some pretzels and cheese, and headed into the living room to kill some time until Armie got home. He filled the next hour and a half with a combination of reading, watching tv, and playing some video games. He’d cranked up the music, which was on random play from their enormous, eclectic music collection, and just as he was getting bored again, vintage Cudi started blasting. Timmy jumped up, and started dancing, losing himself to the music.

A half-hour later, Armie heard the heavy beat of the music before he even got his key in the lock, and smiled at the thought of what Timmy might be up to on the other side of the door. He quietly let himself in, set his bag and keys on the table by the door, and turned to the open kitchen/family room area to see Timmy _dancing_ , and not _just_ dancing, but dancing with abandon...eyes closed, head back, limbs flailing...his body swaying and grinding with the rhythm, unintentionally radiating a fuck-me sensuality, a glow of sweat on his brow and the little hairs at the edges of his hairline curling tightly from the dampness. Armie was always attracted to Timmy, but _this_ Timmy, _dancing_ Timmy, strained every ounce of control Armie had. The song changed--slower now, with a pulsing, heavy beat. Armie watched as Timmy slid a hand up into his hair and threw his head back, undulating his hips in time with the music, the wide neck of his shirt falling over and exposing his shoulder. _Fuck, is that...that's_ my _shirt!_ All rational thought flew from Armie’s mind and he strode across the room, grabbed Timmy and pulled him tight against his own body, pressing their open mouths together and grinding his already throbbing cock against him. He felt Timmy’s body go rigid in surprise for only a moment before recognition set in and Timmy became soft and pliant in his arms. “Mmmh,” Timmy smiled and murmured between kisses, “Hello to you too.” Timmy ran his hands up to Armie’s shoulders and jumped up, wrapping his legs around Armie’s waist and rocking his own rock-hard cock against Armie before whispering, "I have lube in my pocket, you wanna re-christen the living room?" 

Armie walked them over to the couch and Timmy disentangled himself to stand on his own two feet. They undressed in a frenzy, pulling and yanking at their own and each other’s clothes between kisses until there were no barriers between them and then stood, skin against skin, melding into each other, running hands over muscles, getting reacquainted with each other’s angles and curves. Timmy spread his hands over Armie's chest, pinching Armie's nipples gently between his fingers before running one hand up to the back of Armie's neck while the other trailed down, through coarse hair to Armie's cock. Timmy dragged his fingers up and down its length before closing his hand around it and starting slow, firm strokes from base to tip.

Armie groaned and broke the kiss to drag his lips downward, over Timmy’s chin to his soft neck, where he mouthed hot, wet kisses, feeling Timmy’s racing pulse beneath his lips. Timmy released Armie's cock and slid his hands around to Armie’s lower back, feeling the gentle curve before pushing his hands even lower. He pulled Armie closer, and the sensation of their hard cocks dragging against each other radiated down Timmy’s legs, making him weak-kneed. Still kissing Timmy’s neck, Armie gripped Timmy’s arms and guided him down to the couch, laying him out on his back, then knelt on the soft rug. He suddenly sucked, hard, and a gasp fell from Timmy’s lips as his back arched against the sensation.

Armie sat back and looked at Timmy, laid out like a feast before him, trailing his eyes from the crown of curls splayed out around Timmy’s head to the angry red mark rising on the pale, smooth skin of Timmy’s neck, then returning to land on plush, pink lips. "My god you're beautiful," he said in breathy wonder before leaning in and brushing their lips together in a soft kiss, "I'm so, _so_ glad you're home." He leaned back and let his eyes continue down to Timmy's chest, small, dark nipples rising in stiff nubs in contrast to the smooth, pale expanse of skin leading down to Timmy’s cock, leaking precome as his knees fell open under Armie’s gaze. A guttural groan of “Mine,” escaped Armie’s lips as he leaned over and took Timmy in his mouth. “Fuck,” Timmy's breath hitched, “only ever yours.” Armie sucked at Timmy and fumbled behind him in the pile of clothes, finally laying hands on the lube. In no time he had his fingers slick and was trailing them up and down Timmy’s crease, dipping a finger deeper into his hole with each passing. 

Armie felt Timmy’s hands on his hips, steadying himself as he curved his upper body up off the couch. The velvety warmth of Timmy’s mouth suddenly surrounded Armie's cock, and they quickly fell into a synchronous rhythm of licking and sucking, both of them giving and receiving with enthusiasm. Armie worked his fingers into Timmy and began stroking in and out, brushing his fingers against Timmy's prostate as he spread his fingers to hasten the stretch. A hum of desire vibrated against Armie’s cock and he glanced over to see Timmy’s eyes closed in pleasure, pink lips stretched around his cock, strong hands gripping Armie’s hips as Timmy tried to keep from falling. Armie dropped his head, taking more of Timmy’s cock, letting it hit the back of his throat. The twin sensations of having Timmy and Timmy having him at the same time took him to the absolute edge, and he pulled his mouth away to stave off his building orgasm. Timmy visibly shivered as the cool air hit his spit-wet cock and Armie knew he needed to move quickly. He poured more lube onto his fingers as he moved them in and out, opening Timmy and slicking his crease, as he wasn’t sure how long either of them could hang on. 

Armie threaded his fingers into Timmy’s hair and held his head back as he pulled his body away from Timmy’s sinful mouth. Timmy let out a high whine at the loss, “Oh my god, Armie,” he said through panting breaths, “what are you waiting for? Fuck me already!” 

Their mouths came together once again as Armie reached behind him to push the coffee table out of the way, accidentally pushing it over in his haste. The loud crash barely registered as he rolled to the soft rug, pulling Timmy off the couch and on top of him. Timmy laid there, grinding against him as they kissed, then pulled his legs apart and up until his knees were resting on the rug at the sides of Armie’s hips. He leaned in and held Armie’s face in his hands, kissing him deeply before sitting back and raising himself up on his knees, reaching down to line the tip of Armie’s cock up against himself. He caught Armie’s eyes and took a deep breath, then dropped his hips, impaling himself on the hard, thick length. Armie’s eyes went wide and his back arched as Timmy paused, fully seated, skin against skin, then circled his hips before lifting himself up and doing it all again. Armie watched Timmy ride him, his head thrown back in ecstasy and his hand snaking up his chest to stroke and squeeze against his own neck. Armie's eyes drifted from Timmy's neck, down over his chest to his cock, stiff and dark as it slapped against Timmy's stomach from the ride. Armie reached out and made a loose fist for Timmy to slide into as he moved up and down, then glanced lower and watched his own cock repeatedly disappear into the man he loved until he could restrain himself no longer. He released Timmy's cock and reached out and grabbed his hips instead, holding him in place as he lifted his knees and planted his feet on the ground, giving him leverage to thrust up into Timmy again and again. It was only a few moments before they came, one after another, pleasure washing over them in waves.

Spent but happy,Timmy collapsed against Armie's chest and laid there, feeling it rise and fall beneath him as his own jagged, irregular breathing slowly returned to normal. After several minutes of content cuddling Timmy noticed the sun had dropped in the sky and remembered Michelle’s message. “Babe, I didn’t have a chance to mention it before because we were...occupied, but Michelle’s dropping by tonight at 8:00.” Armie shifted beneath him and they both sat up.

“Baby news?”

“Probably? It’s been long enough. I was actually counting out the days in my head right before she texted, and the window for when they should be able to determine whether the embryo implanted started yesterday.”

“Did she say anything? How’d her voice sound?”

“She texted, so no help there. I asked but she wouldn’t spill. I swear, we never should have told her we wanted to hear things at the same time. If we find my phone you can read what she said.” 

They found Timmy’s phone in the pocket of his pants, which had somehow gotten pushed under the couch. Timmy unlocked it, ready to hand it over for Armie to read, when he noticed the time--they only had an hour until Michelle would get there, and they still needed to shower, straighten up the living room, and eat. They scrambled to their feet, dividing tasks--Timmy picking up clothes, righting the coffee table, and generally straightening the living room while Armie took a quick shower, and Armie putting together a quick dinner while Timmy showered. They were just putting plates in the sink and wiping off the table as the doorbell rang.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Timmy answered the door and led Michelle back to the kitchen area, where Armie was waiting.

“Michelle, can I get you anything? Something to drink?”

“No thanks guys, I won’t stay long, I just wanted to tell you in person.”

Armie heard the sadness in Michelle’s voice and his heart sank into his stomach. He glanced over at Timmy, and saw his eyes bright and smiling, expecting good news. He raised his eyebrows at Michelle in a plea to wait while he stepped toward Timmy and put his arm around his shoulder, then gave the smallest nod. 

“Please don’t keep us in suspense,” Timmy grinned, “is it news about the baby? Are we going to be parents again?”

“Guys, I’m really sorry. None of the embryos implanted. I’m not pregnant.”

Armie tightened his arm, holding Timmy up as the news hit him. He was crushed, but Timmy was devastated. “But,” Timmy stuttered, “could it be too early to tell? Can we wait a few days and test again?”

“Oh Timmy,” Michelle’s voice cracked, “We could test again in a few days but it won’t make a difference. My levels aren’t elevated at all, and they even did an ultrasound, just to be sure. I’m so very sorry, but they’re certain. I’m _not_ pregnant. I’m sorry if my asking to drop by misled you in any way. I just felt like you deserved to hear this in person.” 

Timmy just nodded, numb, so Armie stepped in, “Michelle, we really appreciate your coming to tell us in person. This certainly isn’t the news we’d hoped to hear tonight, but we’re so glad you travelled this road with us. Let me help you get back out to your car.” He made sure Michelle got to her car safely and walked back in the house, leaning back against the door as it shut behind him. He let a few tears fall and felt his heart break for just a moment before wiping his eyes and returning to the kitchen, where he found Timmy slumped over the table, his head on his arm, silent sobs wracking his body. Armie sat beside him and pulled him into his arms, as Timmy’s body curled in on itself, his hands hiding his face--the loss of their impossible children too much to bear. Armie leaned down, pressing his lips into the curls at the crown of Timmy’s head, his own tears now flowing freely.

Caught up in their own grief, the sound of Timmy’s phone ringing didn't register and the call went unanswered. A few minutes later, the same happened with Armie’s phone. Within the next 5 minutes they had both also gotten text notifications, but they were so focused on their pain and each other that the notifications went unchecked. Fifteen minutes after that, there was a knock at the door, quiet at first, then becoming more insistent until it grew into full-blown pounding.

( _bang, bang, bang)_ “Guys!” (bang, bang) “Open up, I know you’re in there!” (bang, bang, bang) “Timmy!” (bang, bang) “Armie!” 

The noise and their names broke through the fog and they walked to the front door, pulling it open just as Michelle was about to strike it with one of the large rocks from the flowerbed beside the porch. She threw the rock back into the flowerbed and pushed her way inside, turning to them with fire in her eyes, “Are you giving up?”

Timmy looked at her, confused, eyes red and puffy from crying,“What?”

Michelle stared at them with a furrowed brow. “Armie, right before you walked me out, you said you were glad that I’d travelled this road with you.” She looked up and saw Armie nod, and her voice suddenly switched to one of stern disbelief. “I thought so...that makes it sound like you are done. So I ask again...are...you...giving...up?”

“But-, but,” Timmy stuttered, “you’re not pregnant.”

Michelle stared at them, eyes narrowing, shifting her gaze from Timmy, to Armie, and back to Timmy. ‘Wait...you think this is over, don’t you?” Seeing Timmy and Armie each give a little shrug and nod, she rolled her eyes, "You guys need to read your research protocol paperwork again. The expected success rate for the first embryo transfer is only 30 percent!” She shook her head and kept speaking. “Four tries,” she held up her hand, four fingers up and the thumb curled in to make the point, “the study allows for _four_ tries.” She looked each of them in the eyes and poked her finger toward them to make the point, ”The only way this is done now is if _you_ give up.”

Armie and Timmy looked at each other, stunned, their sadness lifting, replaced by confusion, and then after a moment, tentative hope. Armie raised his brows, gave a cautious smile, and nodded at Timmy, who turned to Michelle, “Hell no, we’re not giving up.”

Michelle grinned and stepped forward, throwing her arms out and around the both of them, pulling them into a hug. “I didn’t think so. It didn’t work itself out in my brain until I was on the highway, and then I realized you were probably just clueless.” Michelle stepped back, shook her head and continued, “I’m in this as long as _you_ are. If this next cycle doesn’t work and you want to try again, we can try again and again until we run out of tries. But do me a favor and re-read the study information, okay? I’ll text you tomorrow and we can talk about whether to try again in July or wait a month.” And with that final thought, Michelle turned and left.

Armie wrapped his arms around Timmy as soon as the door closed. He felt Timmy’s breath hitch and started rubbing his back and leaned down to brush his lips against Timmy’s forehead. “Babe, are you okay?” Timmy shook his head, unable to speak. Armie leaned back and ran a hand along the side of Timmy’s face, his thumb under his chin, and tipped Timmy’s head up so their eyes met. After only a second, Timmy tried to look away, but not before Armie saw tears welling there. He pulled Timmy close against him again, wanting to protect him from all the hurt. “Babe, I’m so sorry. This was so disappointing, but we still have hope, you know? It just doesn’t feel like it right now.”

After a few minutes, Timmy started speaking against Armie’s chest, “I know there’s still hope, but I never really thought about it not working, you know? And it has been such a long day...I don’t know, I just wasn’t emotionally prepared for Michelle to not be pregnant.” He pulled back enough to look up at Armie, his eyes moist, but tears no longer threatening to fall. “Babe, I know it’s early, but so much has happened today that it feels like I flew home days ago, not just this morning, and the emotional roller coaster just took so much out of me--I’m exhausted. Can we just go to bed?” 

Armie leaned down and brushed his lips against Timmy’s in gentle support. “I think that’s a really good plan. Anything we need to do or talk about can just wait until morning. Do you want to go ahead and start getting ready while I lock up the house, turn off the lights, and set the alarm?” Timmy shook his head, not wanting to be apart, as he knew that it was Armie’s mere presence that was holding him together--so they walked the house together, hand in hand, doing the small chores Armie always did before bed to keep his family safe during the night, then made their way back to the bedroom, and eventually into the bed, where they slept, wrapped around each other until morning.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

August 28, 2031

Timmy was the first to arrive at the clinic, almost a full half-hour before their appointment. He settled into a chair, keeping an eye on the door, and checked his watch. He almost couldn’t believe they were here, on Armie’s birthday even, and he tried to contain the nervous energy that kept threatening to explode out of him as he bounced his knee and fidgeted with his phone. 

Timmy thought back to June, and the heartbreaking news that the first embryo transfer hadn’t worked--that Michelle wasn’t pregnant. He had felt absolutely broken until Michelle came roaring back into the house and talked some sense into them, and honestly, it still took several weeks after that for him to shed that sorrow. They had gone ahead and tried again in July, transferring another three embryos. That was 6 weeks ago, and things looked promising this time, but today would be the real test. If an embryo implanted and Michelle was pregnant, they should be able to hear the heartbeat and see the very beginnings of their baby today. Timmy was trying to not get his hopes up too much though, the pain from June still fresh in his memory.

Timmy heard the door open and saw Michelle walk in. He smiled and stood, pulling Michelle into a hug. “Michelle, it’s good to see you!”

“Oh, Timmy...you too! Did I read your text right? Is it Armie’s birthday today?”

“It _is_ his birthday. Be sure to point out how old he is...he loves that.” 

“Timmy, somehow I think that’s something only you can get away with.” Her eyes twinkled, “But what a lovely birthday surprise, don’t you think?”

“Oh Michelle, you have no idea.” Timmy felt his phone buzz in his pocket and peeked at the notification. “Armie just texted, he’s parking and will be here in just a few minutes.”

Michelle went to the desk to check in and Armie walked in. Timmy saw him scanning the room, and saw his face light up in a broad smile as they made eye contact. Timmy knew his face looked much the same as he stood and threw his arms around Armie, giving him a quick kiss. “Hey babe, just in time--Michelle’s checking in right now.”

Michelle called over to them from the desk and they all followed the nurse back to the exam room, where they were told the tech would be with them shortly. Timmy looked around at the equipment and posters on the wall, asking questions--Armie and Michelle tag-teaming on the answers. He felt at a disadvantage, the only one in the room without experience having a baby. Armie sensed his nervousness and wrapped his arm around him, whispering into his ear, “Shhh...it’s okay. Babe, we’ve got this.”

The tech came in, introduced themselves, and asked Michelle to lie back on the exam table. Michelle made a request as she jumped up on the table, “Could you explain what’s going on as we go? We haven’t all been through this before.” She caught Timmy’s eye and gave a quick wink. She laid back and pulled at her clothes to expose her belly for the ultrasound wand. Timmy watched, fascinated, as the tech explained the procedure--squeezing gel onto the wand and pressing it against Michelle’s skin. Timmy wasn’t sure what he should be seeing or hearing, but whatever it was, he didn’t think he was seeing or hearing it. He nervously glanced at Armie and Michelle, but they were still smiling, so he knew things must be okay. He tried taking deep breaths to calm himself, and on his third exhale he heard it…

whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh 

Timmy gasped and turned to Armie, his mouth hanging open in surprise, “Armie, is that-...”

Armie looked at Timmy and nodded, his hand covering a giant smile and his eyes moist with unshed tears. “Yes, Timmy, yes...that’s our baby’s heartbeat.” 

whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh

Timmy turned back toward the monitor and felt tears welling in his own eyes. He stepped forward and laid a hand on Michelle’s shoulder, and she reached up to hold his hand. “Congratulations guys, you’re having a baby!”

Armie threw his arms around Timmy and pulled him in for a joyful kiss, the sound of the baby’s heartbeat the new soundtrack to their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are skipping here because of the headnote, just know that Timmy and Armie heard their baby's heartbeat for the first time on Armie's birthday, with the baby being about 6 weeks gestation.


End file.
